Family Ties
by TStabler
Summary: During her first year at SVU, Olivia found her father, with Elliot's help. His influence and connections in the city begin to get in the way of her job, and her dirty little secret threatens to come out and destroy her life. E/O rating for later chaps!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is for Jessie9. Hope it works for ya! As always, this is either a beginning or an end, reviews will decide.**

**DISCALIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, and TStabler© owns this story. Thanks for not whisking it away and holding it for ransom.**

"Are you sure you have to go?" the man behind the large oak desk, wearing the expensive suit, asked Olivia Benson, Special Victims Unit lead detective, as she got out of her seat.

"I'm sure," Olivia replied. "I've got work."

"Right," the man said, nodding. "Before you go, uh, tell me about Elliot."

"Elliot?" Olivia questioned, surprised.

The man smirked. "Yeah, you know him, don't you?"

"He's just this guy at work, why?"

"Just this guy?" the man asked, sipping his brandy. "Come on, poppet. He's more than that."

Olivia sighed. "He's my partner, my best friend. He's, I don't know, he's Elliot."

"You are aware that I know everything that goes on in this city, and I know everything about you, everything about him. You're in love with him," the man said, rising from his chair.

Olivia scoffed. "You don't honestly think..."

"Why are you so afraid of it?" the man asked, interrupting her. "Is it the idea of..." he paused to make a disgusted face, "Having sex with him?"

"What?" Olivia gasped with a shocked laugh. "No! No, I mean, I could have sex with Elliot. If there was a blue moon, and I had enough whiskey in me, and the world were finally crime-free and peaceful, I could have sex with Elliot."

The man smirked. "So you're afraid of being in love with him." He watched Olivia scoff and shake her head. "He's in love with you, too, ya know."

Olivia looked at him, stunned, for a moment. "He's married."

"Yeah, for, like, another five minutes," the man said, stepping closer to her.

Olivia put her hand on the doorknob. "I gotta go," she said quickly.

"Goodbye, poppet," the man said, pulling her into a hug.

Olivia patted his back gently. "Goodbye, Dad."

* * *

"Sorry I'm late," Olivia said, walking into the bullpen. She saw Elliot, smiling up at her, and shook the thoughts her father had given her away. "What have we got?"

Elliot got out of his chair and handed her a pink slip. "Body on Thirty-Ninth and Broadway," he said. "I was waiting for you."

"Great," Olivia muttered. She nodded at Munch, Fin and Cragen, then followed Elliot out.

"Why were you late?" Elliot asked, as they waited for the elevator.

Olivia chuckled. "I was only late by five minutes!"

"Yeah," Elliot agreed, "But you are usually the first person here besides me. And why didn't you want me to pick you up this morning?" They stepped into the lift and Elliot pushed the button for the lobby.

"I got a ride, El," Olivia said. "I was, uh, visiting someone."

Elliot leaned over and whispered, "Your father?"

"Yeah," Olivia sighed.

"I'd like to meet him, Liv," Elliot said. "Look, I know you don't want anyone to know you found him, and I'm the only one who does..."

"Because you helped me find him," Olivia interjected.

"Whatever," Elliot said, rolling his eyes. "My point is, I don't know why you're keeping him this big secret. It's been almost three years! It's not like he's a serial killer or anything, right?"

Olivia's eyes widened slightly as she cleared her throat and said, "Right. Yeah, he's, uh, not a serial killer."

"Okay, so what's the problem, baby?" Elliot asked, stepping out of the sliding doors.

"Baby?" Olivia questioned. Then she brushed it off. "El, I just wanna get to know the man before I introduce him to two dozen cops."

"I'm only one cop," Elliot said. "As your partner, as you best friend, I reserve the right to meet him before anyone else does."

Olivia chuckled. "You will," she said, stepping toward the car. "Eventually," she added.

"Oh, hey, uh, Kathy kinda wants me out of the house for a few days," Elliot said, as if it was normal. "Something I said, or did, so uh, can I..."

"Yeah, you can," Olivia sighed. "Your room is right where you left it."

"I still can't believe you bought a townhouse," Elliot chuckled, pulling out of his parking spot.

"I didn't," Olivia said. "I told you, it was a gift. My father's trying to prove..."

"That he's not a raping psycho, I know," Elliot said, rolling his eyes. "Are you upset that your mother lied to you?"

Olivia shrugged. "I'm still not sure she did. Ya know, she was drunk. She probably remembers it being a rape, since she was so trashed...anyway, I can't ask her about it now, can I?"

Elliot sighed and shook his head. "No, I guess you can't," he said.

They talked, more than they had in a while, as they drove to the scene, and when they arrived and stepped out, Olivia was met by Don Stefano, a uniformed officer from their precinct.

"Olivia, I..."

"No," Olivia said, cutting him off. "You ask me every day, Donny, and I always say no. Just give it up."

Don shook his head. "I can't do that, Detective Benson. We could be great together," the young cop said.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Well, tacos and peanut butter could be great together, but I'm not gonna slather some Jiffy on a chalupa to prove it."

Don chuckled and sighed, walking away from her.

Elliot was trying to hold in a laugh, but couldn't. "You really don't wanna go out with him, huh?"

"Not in the least," Olivia said, walking toward the body. "What have we got, Melinda?"

Melinda Warner, the medical examiner, looked up and said, "She was definitely raped. But cleaned. With bleach and ammonia. She was killed with a single shot to the head. The bullet's gone, Detectives. Your killer knows what he's doing."

"Professional hit?" Elliot questioned.

Olivia closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. "No, El," she said, shaking her head. "It was a mob hit."

"How the...yeah, I guess it could be," Elliot said. He looked up at Olivia and saw the evil look in her eyes. "Liv, what's that look for?"

"You said you wanted to meet my father, right?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow.

Elliot nodded, biting his lip. "Yeah, babe, but is now really a good..."

"Now is perfect," Olivia said. She rose to her feet, pulled out her cell phone, and dialed the second number on her speed-dial. The first was Elliot. She waited for him to pick up, then said, "Dad? You're getting company."

**A/N: So far? Want more? I swear, there's so much coming with this story. Review and you'll get it all. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Family is everything. Isn't it? Us Italians think so. There's nothing we wouldn't do for our family. Nothing.**

**DISCALIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, and TStabler© owns this story. Thanks for not whisking it away and holding it for ransom.**

Olivia pulled up to a wrought iron gate, rolled down her window, and pushed a button. A buzzer sounded and she sighed.

"Liv," Elliot gasped, "I thought we were going to talk to your father!"

"We are," Olivia said, gritting her teeth, as the gates opened. She drove down a long, circular driveway, and pulled up to the front of a huge, white, alabaster and marble house. "This is where he lives, El."

"Is your father Donald Trump?" Elliot asked, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"Nope," Olivia said, leaving her car idling. "Close, though. He's a Don."

"What?" Elliot asked.

"Nothing," Olivia said, dismissivley.

A man in a white suit ran to her door and opened it for her. "Good morning, Miss Olivia," he said.

Another man in a similar white suit opened Elliot's, but said nothing.

"Liv, is your father a politician?" Elliot asked, trying to tip the guy, but being refused.

"I wish," Olivia muttered. She stepped up to Elliot, grabbed his hand, shoved the money inhis pocket, and pulled him to the stairs. They walked to the front door, which seemed to open on its own.

"Morning, Miss Olivia," the butler said. "Master Geanetti is in the study."

"Thanks, Ralph," Olivia said, breezing by him.

"It's Rolf," the butler called after her. "It's French."

"Whatever," Olivia yelled back.

Elliot was in awe, shaking his head and smirking. "Damn, Liv, tell me you found out you're a princess."

"Something like that," Olivia spat harshly, then she turned to face him. "El, when we leave, you have to forget you ever met him. You don't know who he is, where he is, or that I'm his daughter. Got it?"

Elliot furrowed his brow. "I don't think.."

"El," Olivia prodded, giving him a serious look.

Elliot's eyes widened a bit. "Okay, baby, whatever you want."

Olivia quirked an eyebrow. He called her "baby" again. She brushed it off, like she'd done before, and led Elliot into her father's study. "Dad," she began, but her father stood and walked toward her with a smile.

"Olivia, poppet," he said, hugging her, "You brought Elliot. What a great surprise! I was wondering when I'd get to meet him. How are ya, Elliot?" he asked holding out his hand.

Elliot shook it, confused as to how the man knew who he was, and said, "I'm good."

"And your children? How are they? Dickie's football team did well this year, huh?" the man asked. He saw Olivia's wide eyes and the stunned expression on Elliot's face. "My little cannoli has told me so much about you," Olivia's father said, covering his mistake.

"Your little cannoli," Elliot chuckled. "That's adorable."

"Dad," Olivia said, clenching her jaw, "Please, knock it off. This isn't a social visit, trust me. I wouldn't willingly bring him here. I wouldn't introduce you to him if I didn't have to. We're here because of this woman," she said, holding out her cell phone, a picture on the screen.

Her father saw the photo and gasped. "Oh, my God," he breathed. "What happened to her?"

"Raped. Killed. You promised me, you swore, that you and I would never have to cross professional paths," Olivia spat. "You, clearly, lied! Who is she?"

Geanetti cleared his throat. "Her name is...was...is Nicole Viterro. She was...is...was the daughter of..."

"Francesco Viterro?" Elliot asked, interrupting. "The Brooklyn Kingpin? Woah...the Mafia...is that what we're..."

"There's no such thing as the Mafia," Olivia and her father said, together, glairing at Elliot.

Elliot then realized something. "Holy shit," he said, his eyes widening. "Anthony Geanetti. That's who you are, isn't it? Holy...fuck, Liv!"

Olivia suddenly, and quickly, moved in front of Elliot and pulled her gun on her father, who had just pulled his on Elliot. "Dad," she said. "Knock it the fuck off! He isn't gonna say anything! You know that!"

Geanetti lowered his gun, sighing. "Habit, poppet," he said. "Besides, I couldn't hurt him. That would hurt you."

Olivia nodded once, holstering her gun. "Was there a hit out on this, uh, Nicole? And why?" she asked, eager to get the information she needed and get out of the house so she could explain things to Elliot.

Geanetti walked over to his bookcase and moved a few books, then pulled out a crystal decanter of brandy, pouring himself a glass. "Drink?" he asked.

"You know I don't drink," Olivia said. "And we're on duty so you offering is...illegal...just answer the questions."

Geanetti sighed again. "Yes, someone had a hit out on her," he said. "I couldn't tell you why, though. I do know that the orders came from Brooklyn, not Manhattan. I wasn't involved with this. I don't know how you got the case, poppet, the details were very explicit. She was just supposed to be shot and left at her father's door. No one was supposed to rape anyone."

"Who ordered it?" Elliot asked, stepping closer to the rather intimidating man. He could see that he was Olivia's father. The resemblance was clear. The eyes, the smirk.

"Don Stefano," Geanetti said.

"The piss-ant beat cop who keeps hitting on you?" Elliot asked Olivia, shocked.

Geanetti swallowed his brandy and looked at Olivia. "Stefano's little bastard son is giving you trouble?" he asked her.

"No," Olivia said, holding up both hands. "Dad, focus please? And, El, Don, as in a mob boss. Don Stefano, Giovanni Stefano, is Donald's father. That's why he keeps hitting on me. He knows who I am, and he wants to marry into the family."

Elliot snorted. "Over my dead body," he said.

"Excuse me?" Olivia asked, stunned.

"He's not marrying you, Liv," Elliot declared, folding his arms. "If I have anything to say about it, he's not even taking you to dinner. Ever."

Geanetti smirked. "Are you Italian, Elliot?"

"A bit," Elliot said. "My mother's half Italian. I'm mostly Irish. Stabler. Kinda gives it away."

Geanetti smiled, then looked at his daughter. "Look at that! He's Italian, poppet."

"Dad," Olivia scolded, rolling her eyes. "Please, drop this, I have a dead girl whose rapist and killer I need to catch. You, since you know everything that goes on in the entire fucking country, need to help me find him."

Geanetti turned and flipped through a stack of papers on his desk, pulling out a business card. "Call me, at this number, at seven-forty-five, and I'll have your man for you. I will have someone hand deliver him to you at your station."

Olivia dropped her jaw. "Dad, I can't just.."

"Olivia, poppet," Geanetti said, "You do your job, I'll do mine, and as I promised, I will stay out of your way. As long as you stay out of mine."

Elliot and Olivia looked at each other. "We really only need the man who committed the actual crime, and the man who hired him," Olivia said.

Elliot ran a hand down his face. "Yeah, okay. So we get the killer, Stefano and..."

"No," Geanetti interrupted. "You get your perp," he said, using a word he'd heard his daughter say. "I'll take care of Stefano."

Elliot went to say something, but thought better of it, eyeing the very large gun in the man's pocket. "Right," he muttered. "Liv, we gotta..."

Geanetti interrupted him. "A moment alone with my little cannoli, huh, Elliot?"

"Yeah," Elliot said, nodding, afraid to say no. "Sure."

Olivia watched him go, then turned to her father. "What?" she asked, folding her arms.

"When are ya gonna tell him?" he asked her.

Olivia's eyes widened. "Tell who what?"

Her father walked over to her and said, "Elliot. That you're in love with him."

"Oh, not this again," Olivia said, running her hand down her face. "Look, Dad. Elliot is Elliot. He's my partner, my best friend, the only person in the world who has never hurt me. He's also a married father of four! He isn't in love with me! He's...Elliot. Just...he's Elliot, he'll always be Elliot, and as long as he's Elliot, I can not be in love with him. Being in love with him is not an option."

"Why not, poppet?" Geanetti asked.

"Because," Olivia sighed, "It would destroy everything." She opened the door, then heard her father say, "Olivia, if you'd just let it happen, you would actually fix everything. You know that." She scoffed and shook her head at him, leaving the room, whizzing by Elliot, who had heard everything, and who desperately wanted to change her mind.

Elliot tried not to show the excitement and joy on his face as he followed Olivia back through the mansion. "Your his little cannoli, huh?" he asked, smirking.

"Shut up," Olivia said, her hands in her pockets.

"What the hell is a poppet?" Elliot asked, furrowing his brow. "He called you that a lot."

Olivia cleared her throat as the butler, Rolf, opened the door for them. "It's a, sort of, handmade doll. Old Italian tradition, ya know, the mother would make a doll for her first born daughter and it would be passed down to the other girls in the family. Well, I guess he thinks of me as his poppet. His doll. I'm his only daughter."

"You didn't tell me his name," Elliot said. "When I helped you find him, you didn't tell me anything. Liv, baby, is that why? Because you thought I'd..."

"Yes," Olivia said, getting into her car.

"Liv, baby, all you had to do was tell me not to say anything," Elliot said, once they were in the car.

Olivia looked into his blue eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "Don't say anything."

"About what?" Elliot asked, smirking.

Olivia chuckled, then caught his eyes again. "Thanks," she said.

"Liv," Elliot said, cupping her chin gently, "Baby, I would do anything for you." He let go of her chin, seeing something unfamiliar flash in her eyes. Then he added, "My little cannoli."

Olivia rolled her eyes and laughed as she pulled away, her father watching from the foyer window. He smirked to himself as he walked down the hall, pulling a cordless phone out of his pocket. He dialed a number and waited. "Pauly, it's Tony," he said. "We got a problem, and we have to take care of it. Well, two problems. Don Stefano, have him meet us for dinner tonight at seven, and he'll need a date. There's a girl, lives in Queens, her name's Kathy Malone. Find her, would ya? Wonderful. See ya tonight, Pauly." He hung up and sat back in his chair, lifted his brandy to his lips, and said, "Problem solved, poppet."

**A/N: How much power does this man have? What is he going to do with Kathy? And what is Elliot going to do with Olivia? Are they in too deep this time, or not deep enough? Review, or send me a Tweet TMG212, and chapter three will be written! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Family is everything. Isn't it? Us Italians think so. There's nothing we wouldn't do for our family. Nothing.**

**DISCALIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, and TStabler© owns this story. Thanks for not whisking it away and holding it for ransom.**

"So, you have a lead, but you can't follow it because your informant told you to call him at seven-thirty and then you would actually have the suspect," Cragen siad, biting into a cherry licorice whip.

"That's pretty much it," Olivia said, her arms folded.

Cragen chewed, then swallowed. "When Compton hit you on the head last week, Benson, did it do any permanent damage?"

Elliot chuckled. "Cap, I think we can trust this guy," he said, running a hand down his face.

"If he's just yanking your chains, your asses are gonna be grass," Cragen warned, "And Ed Tucker is gonna be the lawnmower from hell."

Olivia sighed. "Yeah," she said. "We know." She looked down at her watch and said, "Fifteen minutes. Then we make the call."

Cragen walked over to the white board, looked at the vic's photo, and said, "I know that name. Viterro, Viterro...isn't he...doesn't he have mob connections?"

"Ha, ha, ha," Olivia spat sarcastically. "You know he does, Cap."

"Your informant wouldn't happen to have any similar family ties, huh?" Cragen asked, raising an eyebrow. "You two will not be dealing with anyone that can get you killed!"

Elliot moved to answer a ringing phone as Olivia said, "Cap, Elliot and I are in no danger of being hurt or killed. You can be sure of that." She turned, suddenly, hearing Elliot's one-sided conversation.

"Kathy," Elliot said, sounding bitter, "You know that already. No, I don't care who you go out with, go. Because I have been telling you for months that I'm tired of...no, I'm not gonna do that unless you...will you please stop? Olivia has nothing to do with...because I just don't love...ya know what? Just sign them. Sign the papers, and I'll pick them up when I pick up the kids. Oh, that's funny, Kathy! I am the cops! You just try to call someone in this city and tell them that, they're gonna know you're full of shit! Don't you dare, Kathy, you leave her out of this! I'm warning you..." he paused, looking annoyed. "She hung up on me!" he snapped, slamming the phone down.

Olivia, Fin, Munch and Cragen were staring at him. Olivia let out a small breath, her arms still folded, and said, "I would have hung up you, too, El. That didn't sound like a happy conversation. And I have nothing to do with what?"

"You have nothing to do with what's going on with me and Kathy," Elliot said, clearing his throat. "And that was not a happy chat, no. She's going out with another guy tonight, and she got pissed when I told her I didn't care."

"Elliot," Olivia began, rolling her eyes and unfolding her arms. "You do care! Why would you..."

"No, Liv, I don't care," Elliot said, stopping her from saying anything else. "I really don't. It's only fitting that she be the one to walk away, since I've already fallen in love with someone else. We're both wrong here."

Olivia gasped, and heart cracked in two as she looked at him. Their eyes locked, but nothing passed through them except the anger lingering in his and the hurt in hers. She looked at her watch again, to avoid his glare, and she looked up, choosing to look at Fin. "I have to make a phone call," she said, then, instead of moving to the phone on her desk, she pulled out her cell phone and ran into the hall, needing to be as far away from Elliot as possible.

Fin scoffed and looked at Elliot as if he had two heads. "You don't think before you speak, Stabler," he spat.

"Shit, Fin, stay out of it," Elliot said, shaking his head and running out after Olivia. He got to her just as she hung up the phone. "Liv," he said, "Baby, what I said in there..."

"Save it, El," Olivia said, snapping her phone shut. "Donny Stefano is bringing in our suspect at eight o'clock," she told him.

Elliot scoffed. "That guy," he said. "If he tries anything with you, I'm gonna..."

"Not do anything," Olivia said, peering into his blue eyes. "I'm not interested in him, El. I...can't be. We get the guy, we get him to give us a confession. My dad said he was taking care of Stefano, getting a written statement, or something."

Elliot said, "Okay, good, so our job is..."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Olivia asked, interrupting him, her voice softening as she leaned slightly against the bench in the hall.

"Tell you what?" Elliot asked, furrowing his brow.

Olivia bit her bottom lip. "You and Kathy," she said. "That conversation sounded so...it's over? You told her to sign the papers, you're getting divorced? You didn't think I'd want to be involved in this?" she questioned, sounding hurt. "I can go talk to her, El. I've done it before, if you would have..."

"That is the last thing I want you to do," Elliot said, cutting her off. "I'm letting her go. I'm letting this happen. I just wish she would do the same thing."

Olivia looked away for a moment, then looked back, a new question in her eyes. "Who is she?" she asked. "You said you were in love with someone else, who is she?"

"I can't tell you that right now," Elliot sighed. "We're working here, Liv. I swear, we will talk about this later. Right now, we have to talk to Viterro without him finding out who...who you are."

Olivia sighed and nodded, walking heavily back into the squadroom, into the conference room where Angelo Viterro and his wife were crying into cold coffee, waiting for an explanation on why their little girl was dead.

* * *

Tony Geanetti was sitting, sipping brandy with one hand and holding a cigar in the other, across from Paul Minardi and Giovanni Stefano. To Stefano's right, Kathy, Elliot's wife, sipped red wine and smirked as if she'd just been given the world on a silver platter. Geanetti chuckled, seeing this, and nodded at Paul, who whipped out a handgun and held it to Stefano's head.

"What the hell is going on here?" Stefano asked, panicking.

Kathy's eyes widened and she rose from her chair, backing away. "My husband's a cop!" she cried.

Geanetti chuckled. "Yeah, doll, we'll talk about that later. Now, though, we have the little matter of your botched hit to discuss, Don Stefano."

"Woah, Don Geanetti," Stefano protested. "I gave explicit instructions. Tripino just didn't follow them! My son is taking him to your daughter, as we speak! What more do you want from me?"

Geanetti glared at Stefano, then nodded to Paul, who cocked the trigger.

"Please!" Stefano cried. "Anything, Don Geanetti!"

Geanetti smirked. "You relinquish all your rights to Brooklyn to me," he said. "And you get your scum-bucket kid to back off my baby. She's already spoken for, Stefano, and even if she wasn't, I would not allow her to marry your little prick."

"Consider them both done," Stefano said, sweating bullets, hoping one was not about to be fired into his head.

"Now!" Geanetti yelled. He smirked when Stefano shakily got his cell phone out and called his son, and he chuckled listening to Stefano's voice crack as he had the conversation.

"There," Stefano said, "Donny won't be bothering her again!"

"Oh, one more thing," Geanetti said, still smirking. "Sign this," he said, slapping down a sheet of paper and a pen. "It's legally binding, I have a team of very good lawyers."

Stefano picked it up. "What is it?"

"Just sign it!" Geanetti spat.

Stefano swallowed hard. He picked up the pen and signed it, unaware of what it said, and handed it back to Geanetti.

Geanetti smirked, folding it in thirds, then placing it into Stefano's jacket pocket. "Good, then. Pauly," he said to the man with the gun, "Take Gio for a little ride."

Stefano gasped, his eyes widening. "What?" he screamed. "No! No, you said...Don Geanetti! We can talk about this!" His pleas faded as Paul dragged him out of the restaurant. He chuckled, then turned to face a very frightened Kathy. "Sit," he said.

Kathy sat quickly.

"I'm gonna make you an offer you can't refuse," Geanetti said, laughing at his own use of the cliché. "You said your husband is a cop."

"Yes," Kathy said, nodding. "But I'm not gonna tell him anything, I swear, I..."

"He's not," Geanetti interrupted. "But your ex-husband is," he said. He held up the signed divorce papers. "My people found these in your desk, and I'm gonna have my other people push these through faster than you can say 'custody case.' And, if you wanna live to see thirty, he gets the kids."

Kathy furrowed her brow, opened her mouth to protest, but saw two large men step forward. "Will I get to see them?" she asked, looking back at Geanetti.

"If you play by my rules, I can make sure you'll get some weekends, and some holidays," Geanetti said, his demeanor softening. "But, Kathy," he said, "I have a lot of rules." He smirked at her, viciously, and handed her a stapled pack of papers.

Kathy's eyes widened as she looked down at rule number one. "You can't be serious!" she said, disgusted.

"Try me," Geanetti said, holding out his hand. "Keep reading, then sign it. I keep the last sheet, you keep the rest, you live by these rules, or you don't live at all."

Kathy swallowed hard, shaking her head in disbelief, as she resigned herself to read the rest of the rules she would have to follow, if she wanted to get out of this situation alive.

Geanetti smiled as he watched Kathy sign the last page and hand it to him. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, Miss Malone," he said.

Kathy furrowed her brow and said, "Malone is my maiden..."

"Well, yeah," Geanetti said. "You're not a Stabler anymore. And, uh, on your way home, remember rule number two."

Kathy took a breath and nodded. "My lips are sealed."

* * *

"Cut the shit, Tripino. We know someone hired you, who? What was in it for you, huh?" Olivia asked, her hands in her pockets as she and Elliot interrogated the hitman who had taken out Viterro's daughter.

Before the perp could answer, there was a knock on the dual-glass window.

Olivia looked at Elliot, then they both left the room, eyeing their perp. "What, Cap?" Olivia asked, getting into the pit.

"You don't need him to give you the name of the man who hired him," Cragen said. "Finnerty from the Two-Nine called. They found a body off the expressway. Giovanni Stefano. This was in his pocket."

Elliot took the letter, sealed in an evidence bag, out of Cragen's hand and turned it to the light so he and Olivia could read together. "Confession," he said, "And suicide note," he added as he kept reading. "Guess this is a closed case."

Cragen nodded. "Tell Tripino you know who hired him, and that he won't get whacked if he talks."

"Whacked?" Olivia questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Isn't that what they call it?" Cragen asked, biting into his licorice. "The Mafia, getting whacked?"

Olivia put her hand on the knob, ready to head back into the interrogation room and said, "Or they could call it 'taking care of..." she stopped and her eyes shot to Elliot's.

Elliot shook the bag at her. "Suicide note," he whispered into her ear. "He covered his tracks, Liv. Baby, calm down."

Olivia furrowed her brow at him. "How can you be so cool about this?" she asked, opening the door and taking her anger out on the perp.

Cragen looked at Elliot questioningly. "What was that about?"

"She hates not getting the real bad guy," Elliot said, sighing. "You know that."

"Yeah," Cragen said. "Go help your partner, get a solid confession, and this case is over."

Elliot nodded, walking into the interrogation room, and watched, amused, as Olivia made Tripino cry. He slid the notebook from the end of the table to the middle, handed him a pen, and said, "Don't cry about it, write it down."

Tripino picked up the pen and started writing, and ELliot walked over to where Olivia had moved, against the wired window. "Liv, look, you know what your father is, so do I. I'm not gonna jam him up unless he does something we can prove. You know he did it, I know he did it, neither one of us is gonna say that outloud. We have a signed suicide note, so courts won't buy it. You asked how I can be so cool about this? I have to be, Liv. I really don't wanna piss off your father anymore than I'm going to as soon as my divorce is finalized."

"Why would you do that?" Olivia questioned. "What are you gonna do that's gonna piss him off?"

Elliot smirked, then folded his arms, turning his eyes back toward Tripino. "Ask his little cannoli out on a date," he said.

It hit Olivia like a brick, but before she could say anything, Tripino said, "I'm done. Can I go somewhere else now? You are one scary bitch, Detective Benson."

Elliot moved, saying, "You have no idea." He grabbed the pad, the pen, and Tripino's arm. He turned back to the window and saw Olivia, still frozen. "Liv, you coming?"

Olivia nodded, and followed him out of the interrogation room, trying to figure out of she had really just heard Elliot correctly, or if her own thoughts were becoming all too real.

**A/N: What happens when Elliot spends the night alone with Olivia? What happens when he finds out Kathy isn't fighting anymore, and that he's single faster than he imagined? And what happens when Kathy breaks one of the rules that have been set for her? Review, or drop me a tweet TMG212 on Twitter.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Family is everything. Isn't it? Us Italians think so. There's nothing we wouldn't do for our family. Nothing.**

**DISCALIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, and TStabler© owns this story. Thanks for not whisking it away and holding it for ransom.**

Olivia opened the door to her new townhouse, pushed it open, and walked into her living room. Elliot followed closely behind her. "Ya know," she said. "I've only had this place for six months, and you've already claimed your own room. You've spent three of those six months here, combining all the weeks Kathy's kicked you out. What'd you do this time?" she asked, taking his bag and walking it into what was considered his room.

Elliot ran a hand down his face. If he told her the truth, he'd embarrass them both. If he lied, she'd know. "I'd rather not talk about it," he said.

Olivia came out of the room in loose sweatpants, tugging down a tee shirt. He saw the barest slip of skin as she did it, and his breath hitched. He wanted to see it again, with the shirt going in the opposite direction. She was a fast changer, and it made his mouth go dry knowing she was naked for a moment, in his room.

"El," she said, looking at him, "It's me! You tell me everything!"

Elliot sighed. "I guess," he mumbled. "I don't know how, or why, this happened, but, uh, you know how I told you that Kathy and I...we don't really have a sex-life anymore?"

"Yeah," Olivia nodded, heading into the kitchen. Elliot followed, and knowing what she was doing, he grabbed a bowl out of the cabinet and handed it to her. They had a routine. She opened another cabinet, grabbed a bag of microwave popcorn, tore the wrap off, and tossed it in the microwave. "You have young kids. It makes it hard."

"That's not why we don't...Liv, I'm just not really...when I look at Kathy, I just see a friend now," Elliot admitted. "I don't, uh, feel anything. Ya know? No spark. No fire. No desire."

"You aren't attracted to your wife?" Olivia asked. "That's a problem," she said, smirking.

"It gets worse," Elliot said, shaking his head. "Before she signed the divorce papers, which she still hasn't fucking done, she asked if we could try one last time...see if there was anything still...there...ya know?"

Olivia's heart shattered. She went pale. She almost started shaking. "Yeah, okay," she mumbled.

"Well, there wasn't," Elliot said. "I closed my eyes, kissed her, and started laughing hysterically. I felt like I was kissing my sister."

Olivia's eyes widened as she said, "That's horrible!"

Elliot chuckled. "Yeah, but what's even worse, is when I calmed down enough to give it a second shot, I got a little too lost in thought. I was thinking too hard, and it was actually a really amazing kiss...it wasn't Kathy I was kissing."

"You've lost me," Olivia said, taking the popped corn out of the microwave and gingerly opening the bag. "You were kissing her, but you weren't kissing her? Wait, you had a...you had a ménage a trois to save your marriage?" she choked, her eyes wide.

Elliot choked on a laugh. "God, no!" he yelped. "No! No, Liv. I just, uh, in my head, I wasn't with Kathy," he told her. "I was with...you."

Olivia blinked and slowly opened her eyes. She turned to the counter, silently, then dumped the popcorn into the bowl. She was nervous, excited, scared, thrilled, and a little proud, but she didn't know what side to show. She opted for sarcasm. She picked up the bowl, turned to him, and said, "And that's the only place you'll ever be with me, El. In your head." She winked at him, smirking playfully, and walked into the living room. She sat on the couch and turned on the TV, finding a movie they haven't watched yet on the DVR.

Elliot chuckled, shaking his head. She was so beautiful, he thought. He had to make her realize that, tonight. He walked into the room, only for a moment, as his cell phone rang and took him back into the kitchen.

Olivia tried not to listen, but the yelling made it difficult. It was Kathy, she figured, and from what she could hear, Elliot was getting stuck with planning the twins' eleventh birthday party. By himself. He only had five months to do it. Then she heard silence, then she heard him ask a very quiet, "Really?"

Olivia stopped listening, then, figuring she had already heard too much, and started to pay closer attention to the movie.

"What changed your...wait, what? You just said yesterday that I wasn't going to get...a second chance at life, yeah. For me, too," Elliot said. "Goodbye, Kathy," he said, hanging up. He sighed in relief and disbelief. He turned, looking around the kitchen, then decided to grab drinks before he joined Olivia. He opened the fridge and his eyes widened. "Liv?" he called into the dark living room, curiosity in his voice.

Olivia, chewing popcorn, answered, "Shut up and get in here, this is the best part of the movie!"

"There's food in your kitchen," Elliot said, closing the refrigerator after getting two bottles of beer. "A lot of it. That's...odd."

Olivia rolled her eyes as she scooted over on her couch, making way for Elliot to sit. "My dad has someone deliver it every week. He doesn't think I go food shopping on my own."

"You don't," Elliot chuckled, pulling Olivia slightly closer to him. When she raised an eyebrow at him, he smirked and said, "You have the popcorn." He reached into the bowl in her lap with one hand, while his other arm discreetly wrapped around her.

Olivia noticed. Her eyes, glued to the screen, widened, and she shoved a handful of popcorn in her mouth to keep from saying anything. She was afraid that if she said anything, brought attention to it, he'd move.

Elliot smirked, seeing her reaction, and sipped his beer. "What'd I miss?" he asked in a whisper, leaning closer to her.

Olivia moved back a bit, turning to face him. Their faces were so close, and she couldn't help but look at his lips. His luscious, kissable lips. "A tennis player met a stranger on a train, and they talked. Uh, they just made a deal. The stranger's gonna kill the tennis player's wife, if he, in return, kill's the other guy's father, and..."

"Do I have popcorn stuck in my teethor something?" Elliot asked, interrupting.

Olivia shook her head, and looked away from him because she knew he knew she was staring at his mouth. She was nervous. Around Elliot. Why? Was it that stupid "date-his-cannoli" comment? She knew he couldn't have been serious about that, could he?

Elliot smirked again, taking pride in the effect he was having on her, and he moved closer, bringing his arm around her even more, gripping her shoulder. The pressure made her fall into him. It was official. They were cuddling. They did _not_ cuddle. Something was going to happen if Olivia didn't get out of this somehow, but she was suddenly frozen. She was so comfortable, and, God help her, she wanted something to happen, no matter how much she tried _not to_ want it. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath, relaxing into him.

Elliot found himself caressing Olivia's arm and stroking her hair. There they remained. And halfway through the moviem he leaned toward her and asked, "When was this movie..."

"Shh," Olivia shushed, turning and shoving popcorn into his mouth playfully. "Just watch it!"

Elliot chewed and chuckled. He had intended on her shutting him up, he was just hoping she would have done it differently. He swallowed, licked his buttery lips, and decided to take matters into his own hands and make a real move. He took a deep breath, slowly moving his arm from her arm to around her waist. He felt her tense up when he slid his hand over her body, but once he splayed his palm over her stomach, slowly and lightly rubbing, she stopped breathing altogether.

Olivia turned her head up to meet his eyes, questions dancing in them, and he was staring, very intently, back at her trying to answer. He said nothing as he moved closer to her, bending his head. He brushed his lips against hers and felt her weight shift. He heard a light thud and knew that she'd dropped the popcorn. He brought his free hand to her face, cupping the side of it gently as he applied more pressure, closing the gap and completing the act. He was kissing her.

* * *

"Why are we packing?" Maureen Stabler asked, yelling down the stairs to her still panic stricken mother.

"Just do it, Maureen!" Kathy yelled back up. She then turned her attention back to her phone call. "Yeah, I swear, I think the second the ink is...no, ya know, he won't even wait for the ink to be dry. That little bitch will have him in her bed tonight, I guarantee it. Well, that is, if she hasn't already. She's all he fucking talks about, Joanie, and I wouldn't put it passed him to move in on the slut now that he can without feeling like a mortal sinner. Oh, shit," she said, hearing the phone beep. "Hold on, I got another call." She pushed a series of buttons, switching conversations, and said, "Stabler residence." Her eyes widened. "Oh, my God. How did you...I didn't mean...no, no, Sir! I didn't...yes, thank you, Sir. I swear! Thank you!" She held her hand to her herat, trying to slow the pounding, as she clicked over to the other call. "Joanie, uh, forget everything I said about Olivia. I'm just, um, jealous. I know he loves her, and I can't blame him for it. She's...wonderful," she said, rolling her eyes, suppressing the urge to throw up.

"Do you really think so, Mom?" Kathleen, her twelve year old daughter asked from the bottom of the stairs, confusion and a bit of hope in her voice.

Kathy turned around and looked Kathleen in the eyes. She nodded slowly, feeling awful about lying to her, but not having any choice.

* * *

Olivia, the common sense seeping back into her, pulled away from Elliot. She looked into his mesmerizing eyes and asked, "What the fuck did we just do?"

"We kissed," Elliot whispered, "And it was fucking incredible, and as soon as I finish this sentence and take a deep breath, we're doing it again." True to his word, he took a breath, held her tight, and reattached his lips to hers.

Olivia fell into the kiss, but only for a moment, then struggled to pull away. "Shit," she spat, jumping off of the couch.

"What?" Elliot asked, honestly surprised. "What did I do?"

"You kissed me!" Olivia said, running her hands through her hair. She started pacing, her heart sped up, and she panicked. "You're not supposed to kiss me. I'm your friend, and your partner, and you're married, and you're...Elliot. Just...God, why did you do that? Why the hell did you do that?"

Elliot got off the couch, stood in front of her, and stopped her from moving. "Liv, baby, Kathy called. Don't tell me you weren't trying to listen to the conversation, I know you."

Olivia just shot him a sheepish look, her fingers still running across her lips, feeling his kiss.

"She signed them," Elliot whispered. "She said she signed them and gave them to someone who can have the damn thing expedited. I will be officially an ex-husband in three and a half weeks."

Olivia shook her head and stepped back, away from him. "That doesn't change...we can't do this," she said. "We can not do this. Our jobs, your family, my father...well, no, actually, my father thinks it's a fucking wonderful idea!"

"Listen to Daddy," Elliot said with a smirk. "Better yet, Liv," he said, taking two steps closer, wrapping his arms around her. "Listen to your heart."

"I am," Olivia said. "Elliot," she said, finally looking into his eyes, "I'm not going to be your rebound. Just...go to your room and..."

"You think that's what I'm doing?" Elliot asked, offended. "You really think that I would do that? Especially to you?" He cupped her chin and forced her eyes to focus on his. "Olivia, you are my partner, my best friend. You're...Olivia. I would never risk destroying that! I would never, ever, treat you like that, you know it. Stop being so afraid of this!"

Olivia swallowed, shaking her head. She pulled out of his grasp and was halfway to her room before he stopped her with his words.

"Olivia," he cried, "I love you!"

Olivia stopped. She turned around slowly, and saw him closing in on her. "What?" she asked in a whisper.

"I'm in love with you," Elliot reassured her. "And I know...I know you're in love with me, baby, but you gotta say it. I need to hear you say it."

Olivia, her eyes glued to his, said, "I love you."

As their lips touched, sealing their admission with a kiss, another crime was being committed, only a few blocks away, that would make their binding ties to Olivia's family a little tighter, and a little harder to unravel.

**A/N: How does Olivia react once she realizes what she said? What does Olivia's father get caught up in now? Or is it someone ELSE in her family? What did her father say to Kathy? And what happens when Kathy breaks yet another one of her rules? Review to learn all about it, or tweet TMG212 on Twitter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N People will go to the ends of the Earth for the ones they love.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters, TStabler(c) owns the intellectual property you're about to read.**

The ringing, or rather the obnoxious song Olivia had set for Munch, the theme from The X-Files, interrupted the second best kiss of their lives, once again bringing them back to reality. As her fingers curled around the cold metal and hard plastic of the thin, digital device, everything that was wrong about what she had just done flooded her mind.

"Benson,"she said, squeezing her eyes shut as she pushed Elliot's head away from her neck. "Yeah, uh, I'm pretty sure I can get a hold of Elliot, Thirty-Second and what? Got it. Thanks." She tapped the end-call button, looked at Elliot, said, "Case," and walked away from him, heading into her bedroom to change. Elliot sighed, ran a hand over his face, and walked into his own room to do the same thing.

Once they were suitably dressed for work, with badges and guns secured at the hip, they took off, silent, out the door of her townhouse and into his sedan. They drove, still in silence, to the crime scene, unsure of how to react to what happened in Olivia's living room.

When they finally parked, Elliot turned to her. "Are we okay?" he asked, biting his lip.

Olivia looked at him, forcing herself to look into his eyes. "If by 'okay' you mean every time I look at you now I'm gonna have this intense desire to shove you up against the wall, do it, risk our jobs, your family, my mental well being, physical and sexual injury, and know you really won't mind, then yes, we're okay."

Elliot smirked at her. "That's all I wanted to know," he said. He leaned over the console, kissed her cheek, and got out of the car.

Olivia sighed, wondering what she had gotten herself into. She followed only a step behind Elliot, seeing Munch and Fin near the body. "Why were we called out here if you two already caught the case?" she asked, annoyed that Munch's pointless phone had interrupted a kiss that might have led to some pretty incredible sex, since it melted her brain and common sense.

Munch looked over at her. "We wouldn't have called you if your partner's card wasn't in her pocket," he said, holding up a sealed evidence bag. One of Elliot's cards was inside.

"What?" Elliot spat, ripping the bag from Munch's hand. He looked down at the girl and looked at Olivia. "I've never seen her before. She wasn't a vic, or a witness. Ever."

Olivia bit her lip, then knelt down near the body. She ran a gloved hand over the vic's arm, turning, looking at the bruises that wrapped around it. "Shit," she spat in a whisper. "Mother fucking son of a motherless cow," she cursed through gritted teeth.

"What?" Fin said, chuckling. "Baby-Girl, have you lost your damn mind?"

Elliot walked over to her and knelt down beside her. "What? Your father?"

"No," Olivia said, showing Elliot a cursive tattoo that travelled around the length of the vic's arm. "My brother."

* * *

"Olivia?" the stunningly handsome man who opened the door questioned. If he wasn't Olivia's brother, Elliot would have been insanely jealous that he knew her name. "What are you doing here?" He moved aside, letting the two detectives into his home.

"Sal," Olivia said, "Why the hell am I picking up the remains of your remains on some sidestreet in Midtown?"

Sal Geanetti looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

Elliot gritted his teeth and said, "Francesca Baretti."

"What about her?" Sal asked.

"She's dead, Sal," Olivia spat. "And she was raped. I already had one hit this..."

"Frankie's...no, Olivia, you...you're wrong," Sal blubbered. "She was just...she left this morning. Alive! I swear, she walked out of here on her own two feet. Granted, she had trouble walking..."

"Are you admitting to rape?" Olivia asked, gritting her teeth.

"Rape?" Sal scoffed. "Lemme guess, you're assuming she was raped because she was bruised, bitten, obviously had sex, and had Elliot's card, which I gave her so she would know how to get in touch with you, in her pants,right?" He laughed.

"That about sums it up, yeah," Elliot said, folding his arms.

"Lemme tell you something about the way the men in our family fuck, Olivia. We like it rough!" He saw the look on her face and smirked. "Some of the women might have that kink, too, huh?"

"Screw you, Sal," Olivia spat.

"No, Olivia, I'm serious!" Sal said. "You grew up thinking you were the product of a rape, because your mother was a drunk. She woke up in pain, saw the bite marks and bruises, couldn't remember meeting Dad at that party," he explained. "It was consensual. You know it! Geanetti's are animals in bed, when we're worked up enough. I bit Frankie, I smacked her around, but I didn't rape her. I fucked the shit out of her and she loved every goddamned minute of it!"

Olivia smirked and held up her hands. "Ya know, I'd love to believe you, Sal, but both of the women who can verify your story are dead!"

"Not all of them," Sal said, smirking. "You and Elliot ever get a bit too rough? You ever want him to pull your hair harder? Bite you? Hit..."

"Jesus, Sal!" Olivia yelled. "I'm not sleeping with my partner!"

"Give it time," Sal said. "He'll prove I'm right. Until then, do what you have to do, just remember who you're messin' with. You arrest me, you're askin' for a mountain of shit to rain down on you, and Stabler's family."

Elliot's eyes widened, he lunged forward, but Olivia held him back. "El, he's bluffing," she said, cupping his face and forcing him to look at her. "He won't hurt us or your family."

They heard Sal chuckle, and heard him say, very distinctly, "Try me."

Olivia turned sharply and glared at her brother. "If you lay a finger on anyone in his family..."

She was interrupted when Elliot's cell phone rang. He answered it with a waver in his voice, he stuttered, "St-Stabler!" He paused as he choked. "What? That's impossible! Declaring it a what? Captain, that's ab...I know you aren't blaming us! That would just be stupid! We were out here talking to a...well, that's just great. Yeah, thanks." He hung up and glared at Sal. "Well, it looks like you are staying far the fuck away from my family, Sal. We can't prove anything."

"See? I told you!" Sal cried. "Now, you can find the person who really hurt Frankie."

"No," Elliot said, shaking his head. "I mean we can't prove anything. Anything at all. The body's gone."

* * *

Elliot walked in first, baffled by the meeting they just had with the Chief of Detectives and several officers. "How does a body just disappear in transport? And why the fuck are they just declaring this an accidental death?"

"Mafia," Olivia said. "Their fucking hands are in everything, damn it," she spat, tossing her jacket on the chair. "What the hell did we step into here, El?"

Elliot scoffed. "I stepped into it," he said, snidely. "You were born into it."

"Thanks," Olivia said, rolling her eyes. "I really needed the reminder." She flipped through her mail and gasped. "This day just can't get much more fucked up!"

"What?" Elliot asked, walking over to her. He wrapped an arm around her waist, relaxing when she didn't move away. "What is it?"

Olivia held up the hand-written, hand-delivered, stampless envelope. "A letter from your wife, using her maiden name, addressing me as 'Misses Olivia Stabler.' Is she on drugs? is that why you're leaving her?"

Elliot took the letter, tore it open, and read it, furrowinf his brow and laughing. "This has to be some kind of joke," he said. "Really, because she would never say half this shit. She's calling you an angel, and saying how great you are for me and the kids."

Olivia took the letter back from him, scanned it, then huffed. "He has balls," she said, rolling her eyes. "I guarantee you my father is behind this."

"Liv, now you're just trying to look for..."

"No, El," Olivia said, turning, and surprisingly, wrapping her arms around him. "I"m not. She's fighting you tooth and nail one minute, the next she gives up and is my biggest fan? It makes about as much sense as my brother's dead girlfriend's disappearing act."

Elliot kissed her forehead. "We can worry about all of this in the morning, right?" he asked.

"It is the morning," Olivia said, yawning.

Elliot chuckled. "I meant, later in the morning. After we take a much needed nap."

Olivia nodded, let him kiss her, kissed him back, and padded into her room, closing the door behind her. Elliot headed for his room, rested his hand on the knob, but stopped before he turned it. he smirked, turned around, and walked toward Olivia's room. He turned her knob slowly, hoping she wouldn't hit him too hard when he crawled into her bed.

**A/N: Next: They confront her father. We meet another brother. Elliot asks Kathy a few questions. And the kids and Elliot get a swamnky new pad! Review here or tweet at TMG212 on Twitter! Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: What happens when Elliot opens that door? What does Olivia's father have to say for himself? Where did the body go? And has Olivia been worried about something that has already happened? Kathy breaks a rule and might suffer the consequences. **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© only borrowed them, scrambled things up a bit, and played with them for a while. Relax, Wolfie, she'll give them back when she's done. Maybe. **

Elliot opened the door slowly and crept over to Olivia's bed, noticing that she was not in it, but on top of it. He took a breath and eased onto it, wondering if she was still awake.

"You suck at being stealthy, Stabler," Olivia joked, rolling over. "Can I help you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Elliot looked down at her, suddenly feeling foolish. "I just...wanted to...be in here, with you."

"Oh," Olivia said, yawning. She closed her eyes, stretching out a bit.

Elliot leaned back, his eyes traveling to the slip of skin peeking out between her shirt and pants. He flattened himself out and took a chance, looping an arm around her. He felt Olivia tense up and he stopped moving, but when she relaxed, he eased his arm all the way around her, pulling her close. He wrapped himself around her completely, then, and closed his eyes.

"Comfrable," Olivia mumbled incoherently into his chest.

Elliot laughed. "What?" he asked.

"I said, I'm comfortable," Olivia clarified. "Really, really, comfortable."

Elliot smiled and sighed, kissed the top of her head, and said, "Me, too, Liv." He let his hands run up and down his arms until her breathing evened out, signaling she had fallen asleep in his arms. He pulled her closer and dropped his head into the bend between her neck and shoulder, and drifted away himself.

They were both awakened by the shrill ringing of a cell phone. Elliot's. He shifted and wriggled, looking at a groggy Olivia apologetically as he answered it. She nodded as she reached to answer her own suddenly beeping phone. They hung up simultaneously and looked at each other, waiting.

"You first," Olivia said, gesturing.

Elliot looked confused. "I put an offer on a house, knowing I would never get it. It's way out of my price range, but close to you...and work. Fifteen other families were interested in it. That was the realtor. I got it."

Olivia's eyes widened. "That's...wow, El. Congratulations. But you said you couldn't..."

"The owner lowered the price. Substantially. I can afford it," Elliot said, still confused. "I don't really know how this happened, but...I have to call Kathy. Tell her to get the kids packed." He sighed and cleared his throat. "What was...your call?"

"O'Halloran, the angel," Olivia said, getting off the bed and re-clipping her badge to her hip. "He got prints off of your card. And they didn't belong to my brother."

* * *

"Stop looking out the window. No one knows we're here. My evidence guy didn't even put the hit into the books. We have to be back at the station in ten minutes," Olivia said, her arms folded. "But I'm not leaving until you tell me where she is."

Olivia's father narrowed his eyes and smirked. "Why do you think I know, poppet?"

"Your son's girlfriend turns up dead, he's the only suspect, your prints are on my partner's business card, which was found in her pocket. Gee, I wonder," Olivia spouted sarcastically. "Where is she?"

Geanetti shrugged. "Haven't got a clue," he said, rising to go to his bookcase. He poured himself a brandy. "Just forget it. The case is closed, isn't it?"

"You don't fucking get it, do you?" Olivia yelled, momentarily forgetting her place. "Two cases in two days have been connected to you somehow, and they've both miraculously been solved! My cases! If anyone finds out that I'm your daughter...shit, we're playing with my badge, here! My job, my life!"

Geanetti chuckled. "You really think people don't know?" he asked, sipping from his glass. "Poppet, they know. At least, the people who need to know. You're untouchable. None of this is gonna..."

"What?" Olivia asked, angry. "Who knows about this?"

"Poppet, calm down," Geanetti said, dropping his glass to his desk.

"Don't give me any of that 'poppet' shit and tell me who knows," Olivia said through gritted teeth. "What the hell did you do?"

Geanetti sighed. "No one in your unit, I assure you," he said. "Except of course for Elliot. The chief had to be told, since he's...a friend. He's looking out for you now. A few people in the crime scene..."

"Oh, my God, that's why...O'Halloran knows," Olivia said, running a hand down her face. "Damn it, Dad!"

"Everyone in this city is in everyone else's pocket, Olivia, and eventually, they're in mine," Geanetti said.

Olivia, without thinking, without realizing Elliot was still in the room, said, "Does that include Kathy?"

"Oh, now you're just splitting hairs," Geanetti said. "She was leaving any..."

"You don't know that!" Olivia yelled. "Dad, you ruined my partner's marriage because you have this deluded notion that being with him is going to magically make me happy!"

Geanetti smirked. "You mean it isn't?" he asked. He sipped his brandy, smugly, thinking he had her there.

Elliot's ears perked up like a Doberman's. He leaned forward, needing to pay closer attention.

"Shit," Olivia said with a pitiful chuckle. "I spent the better part of this year trying like hell to keep that family together! Family, Dad! The man has kids! Children!"

"With the wrong woman, poppet," Geanetti said. "He loves you, you love him, Kathy was keeping him from..."

"She had every right to! She's his wife!" Olivia yelled, throwing her arms up.

"Ex-wife," Geanetti pointed out.

Olivia scoffed. "Dad, please, stay out of my personal life, and try like hell to stay out of my professional..."

"I'm your father, I can't do that," Geanetti said. "It's my job to make you happy, and if I can do that, as you put it, magically, than I'm going to."

"Don't," Olivia said. She suddenly turned on her heels and glared at Elliot. "He get to you, too? Lemme guess, that new house on which every other offer suddenly disappeared, he was behind it. And this morning, that was just you doing what he wanted you to do, right?"

Elliot was stunned, honestly hurt, and a little pissed off. "How could you even think...Liv, I didn't even know who your father was until..."

"Save it, Stabler," Olivia said. She turned back to her father. "I want that girl, wherever she is, back on Warner's table in an hour."

Geanetti blinked. "Poppet, I don't know where..."

Olivia snapped at her father. "I'm a cop, Dad. A good one. I will not destroy that just because you think you can snap your fingers and make all my problems go away. Find her and fix this. Fix...everything." She sent another look at Elliot, rolled her eyes and shook her head, and left.

Elliot watched her go, his heart breaking, and he looked cautiously at her father. "You didn't have anything to do with me getting that house, did you?"

Geanetti sighed. "I might have," he said.

"So of course she's gonna think...great," Elliot sighed, running a hand down his face. "Just fucking great. And you didn't make Kathy write this, did you?" he asked, handing Geanetti the letter Olivia had received.

Geanetti took the letter, read it, and sighed. "No," he said. "Definitely not."

Elliot nodded. "That's a relief, at least," he said. "I gotta..." he paused, jerking his head toward the hallway. He followed Olivia's path, out of the study, and prayed that the ride back to the station wouldn't be as awkward as he thought.

He walked out of the large front doors and got into the driver's seat of the car waiting for him, but before he put the key in the ignition, he looked at Olivia. "Liv, I'm not with you because your father is twisting my arm. You know damn well I would never..."

"I know," Olivia interrupted. "I'm sorry, I just...it would have been an easier explanation to accept."

Elliot scoffed. "You would rather believe that your father bribed me, than believe I'm really in love with you?"

Olivia sighed. "I didn't say it was happier, I just said it was easier. El, I'm not used to you..." she was cut off when Elliot's lips crashed into hers. A sweet, emotional kiss let her know that he really did love her, and she knew she was being ridiculous. The kissed they shared had felt too real; you couldn't fake that kind of emotion.

"Well, get used to it, Benson," Elliot whispered. He kissed her again, skimming his hands up and down her back, pulling her closer to him over the console. He moved one hand higher, running it through her hair, and he moaned into her mouth.

"El," Olivia moaned, gripping his shoulders, pulling him close. She nibbled lightly on his bottom lip and he chuckled. They spent ten minutes making out like teenagers in the front seat of a police issue sedan, trying desperately to get as close as they could without losing control completely.

"I love you, Olivia. You know I love you," Elliot whispered breathlessly as he pulled away from her, smiling, finally turning the key. He was about to step on the gas, when Olivia stopped him. "What, honey?"

"Is that Kathy?" Olivia asked, pointing.

Kathy was being led to the side door by two men in suits, one Elliot recognized as Olivia's brother Sal. "Yeah," he said. "It is."

"El," Olivia said, her eyes widening. "Did you, uh, you didn't show my father that letter, did you?"

"Maybe," Elliot said, swallowing hard. "Why?"

Olivia ran a hand down her face and sighed. "you heard him, El. He's my father. He thinks it's his job to make all of my problems magically go away."

"So?" Elliot shrugged. Then he realized. "He thinks Kathy is still a problem."

Olivia nodded. "Call Cragen. Drive around the back. We have to make sure he doesn't...make Kathy go away."

**A/N: Will Olivia's father put her before his other "family?" What did Kathy really say in that letter? We meet Olivia's second brother, and Cragen gives Olivia and Elliot a shock. All if you want it. Say so here, or on Twitter. Follow TMG212.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Will Olivia's father put her before his other "family?" What did Kathy do? We meet Olivia's second brother, and someone gives Olivia and Elliot a shock.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© only borrowed them, scrambled things up a bit, and played with them for a while. Relax, Wolfie, she'll give them back when she's done. Maybe.**

Elliot parked and followed Olivia to the back door. They heard muffled voices coming from the hallway, two men and Kathy.

Olivia glanced at Elliot and she jerked her head, telling him they were going in. Sal, Olivia's brother, and someone else she recognized, were standing on either side of Kathy. She groaned and shook her head. "Great," she whispered, trying to stay quiet. She wanted to hear what was going on.

"I swear," Kathy was saying, "I didn't mean it that way! I was being sincere!"

Sal laughed. "You were full of shit," he said. "You also broke one of your rules. No contact."

Kathy's eyes widened. "I wrote her a letter! I didn't call, I didn't visit..."

"Doesn't matter," Sal said. "You are not supposed to talk to her, at all. No e-mails, no nothing."

Kathy sighed. "What's he gonna do to me?"

"Nothing," Olivia said.

"Olivia," Sal said, surprised, turning around.

Kathy's eyes widened, then narrowed when she saw Elliot. "Hello," she said, giving him a seductive smirk.

Elliot rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Kathy?" he questioned.

Geanetti came out of his office and walked toward them, stopping when he saw Olivia and Elliot. "You two are still here?" he asked.

"Yeah," Olivia said. "What's going on?"

Geanetti looked at Sal, then at the other man, then at Olivia. "Don't worry about it, poppet, you and Elliot have work..."

"We called our captain," Olivia interrupted, her eyes narrowing. "We're good."

Sal looked at his father, then shrugged. "She's family," he said.

"He's not," the other man said, jutting a thumb toward Elliot. "Who the hell is that _ceffo_ anyway?"

Olivia's eyes widened a bit and she said, "Excuse me? If anyone around here's an arrogant dick, it's you Vinny."

Geanetti smirked. "Vinny, that's Elliot."

"Really?" Vinny asked with a grin, turning toward his father. "That's the _cacasodo_ that wants to _mettersi insieme_..."

"Jesus, Vinny!" Olivia barked, putting one hand on her hip and the other on her forehead.

"Olivia, he doesn't speak Italian, calm down," Sal said, enjoying the rise his brother was getting out of her.

Olivia exhaled and said, "Stop calling him arrogant, and no one is tying any knots, okay? Now tell me what Kathy's doing here."

"I have to talk to her about something," Geanetti said, "And it's really none of your business, poppet. You and Elliot should leave."

"Dad," Olivia said, "You don't have to do this. I asked you to stay out of it. Let it go. Let her go, and stop trying to..."

Sal cut her off. "Olivia, you're his little princess," he said with a smirk. "He's gonna protect you, no matter what. It's what family does."

"Well, since I'm fmaily, then Elliot's family," Olivia said. "And his kids are family, and this is, unfortunately, their mother." She grabbed Kathy by the shoulders and pulled, dragging Kathy away from Sal. "Talk to her form over here."

Geanetti chuckled. "I'm not gonna bother asking where you get your _cogliones_ from," he said, tugging on his tie. "Kathy, apologize to her."

Kathy scoffed. "What? For what?"

"That letter," Geanetti said, cracking his knuckles. "We had a deal, didn't we? You wouldn't want me to tell Elliot..."

"Okay!" Kathy cried, her eyes wide. "Olivia, I'm..."

"Tell Elliot what?" Olivia and Elliot asked, simultaneously, staring at Kathy.

Vinny laughed. "Oh, boy, this is friggin' _oombatz_, right here. Elliot, your ex is a little _donnaccia_."

"Shut the fuck up," Sal said, smacking his brother in the head. "Tell them," he said, turning toward his father. You should have just told them, instead of trying to make deals and..."

"Salvatore," Geanetti said, grinning, "When you run the family, you can do it your way, huh?"

"Dad," Olivia said, a very serious look in her eyes, "What?"

Kathy looked at Elliot and took a step toward him. "Elliot, baby, these people are criminals. They lie for a living, remember that! They don't..."

"She's been sleeping with someone else," Sal said, folding his arms and biting his bottom lip. "Someone...Dad took care of so you wouldn't find out about the affair, Elliot," he said, looking at Elliot.

"What?" Elliot spat, squinting. "Who?"

"Giovanni Stefano," Sal said. "Is it all starting to make sense now, Olivia? Are you starting to see what's going on here?"

Olivia looked at Elliot, who looked hurt, shocked, and pissed off. "How long?" he asked, glaring at Kathy.

"Elliot, calm down," Kathy said, holding up a hand.

"How long, Kathy?" Elliot asked again.

Kathy's eyes closed and she sighed. "Six months," she said.

"And you knew," Elliot said, pointing to Geanetti.

Olivia shoved his hand down. "Don't point at him," she said through gritted teeth.

"I knew," Geanetti said. "I know a lot of things, Elliot. I know that she denied even knowing him until I brought the two of them out to dinner together, I know she had a lot of influence on a lot of his decisions, and I know...she's been urging Donny to hit on Olivia. That's why we had to come to our little agreement."

Olivia looked up at her father and shook her head. "You had one of the prime suspects in one of my investigations killed so Elliot wouldn't have to interrogate the man who was sleeping with his wife?"

Geanetti shook his head. "I did it so you wouldn't have to," he said. "Poppet, you put your life on hold for..."

Olivia tried to stop him. "Dad, don't..."

"He should hear this!" Geanetti said, loud. "You gave up chances and passed up opportunities to stay here, in this city, in that special unit or whatever the fuck, and you were two minutes away from finding out that you could have made a move, you could have been happy, he was staying with her for nothing," he explained. "You woulda killed the man, poppet! And when Elliot found out, he woulda helped you! I couldn't let that happen."

Vinny folded his arms and said, "None of us could. You're the baby. You're the girl. You're the one we all have to protect."

"We want to," Sal clarified.

"Your mother wouldn't let me be your father when you were growing up," Geanetti said. "I'm making up for lost time, here, poppet. The only way I know how."

Olivia licked her lips and sighed. "Francesca," she said, eyeing her brothers. "How the hell was she..."

"Family, poppet," Geanetti said. "I had to make sure Sal had nothing to do with it before I let your crime lab find out. He didn't. She's back on your slab, with..."

Elliot's ringing cell phone interrupted the conversation. "Stabler," he spat into the phone. "What? How? Oh, that's just...yeah, yeah, we'll be there." He slapped his phone shut and pocketed it. "Seems the driver got lost and took the body to the wrong morgue. Our vic showed up fifteen minutes ago, and Melinda's got something for us already."

Olivia looked at her father and shook her head, then gave him a look of understanding. "Dinner. Sunday. I know," she said, stopping her father before the same words could leave his mouth. "You two...stay the fuck out of trouble. And Vinny, knock it off with the innuendos."

"Go be a cop, Olivia," Vinny said, smiling at his sister. "And uh, no _chiavata _on the slab huh?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. Elliot raised an eyebrow. "Sex, El," she said to him.

Geanetti spoke up. "Kathy, you know you're only walking away because you're the mother of Elliot's kids."

"Yeah," Kathy said, swallowing hard.

"Break another rule," Geanetti warned, "And that won't matter so much anymore."

Kathy nodded, turned, and walked out the door, followed by Elliot and Olivia. "Kathy," Elliot said, bitterness in his voice.

"Yes?" Kathy said, turning expectantly toward him.

"Okay, lose the puppy eyes," Elliot said. "I just want you to make sure the kids are packed. Everything. By tomorrow night."

Kathy scowled. "You're really...my children will not be staying with Olivia, Elliot."

"No, they won't," Elliot said. "At least, not during the week. I bought a house."

"What do you mean, not during the week?" Kathy gasped.

Elliot smirked. "We're spending weekends with Liv," he said smugly, loving the look on her face as he walked away and got into their car. He waited for Olivia, who looked almost as shocked as Kathy, to get in, then he pulled away, heading for the station.

* * *

The day wore them down, the night wore them out. The case was closed by midnight, the paperwork was done by one in the morning, and they were back at Olivia's townhouse by two. She threw her keys onto an end table, then turned to him, about to say something non-work-related for the first time in hours. "Are you okay?" she asked, watching him carefully.

"I'm fine," Elliot said, heading toward Olivia's fridge. He grabbed a beer, popped the cap off, and took a long swig before heading back to her. "That's some family you have, there," he said, trying not to sound too bitter.

"I'm sorry," Olivia sighed. "That's why I didn't want you to meet..."

"I mean it," Elliot interrupted. "You haven't had this family for that long, and they're bending over backward for you. For me. That's...shit, Liv, that's family." He took another swig of his beer and wiped his mouth. Then he chuckled, finding something funny. "It figures."

Olivia, confused, sat beside him. "What does?" she asked.

"She was the one having the affair," Elliot said as he turned to look at Olivia, "While I was the one trying so hard not to have one."

"She always was completely brainless," Olivia said without thinking. "I mean...I didn't..."

"Liv," Elliot interrupted, "You can say anything you want about her. I really don't care. I could say a few things about her myself. You, uh, you saved her life this morning. You realize that, don't you?"

Olivia nodded. "I know my father, El. As much I hate to admit it, I know what he is, and what he does. Your children need her. I couldn't let..."

"I know," Elliot said, smiling softly at her. "Thank you."

"Ya know," Olivia said, turning her body more fully toward him, "You never told me why she kicked you out."

Elliot chugged his beer. "Yes, I did," he said.

"You laughed when you kissed her," Olivia said. "You were thinking about me. El, no one has ever gotten thrown out of their house because they were thinking..."

"I told her," Elliot said, bluntly. "I told her I was thinking about you, okay? I told her and she flipped out on me and she kicked me out. But now that I know there was really no good reason...because she was fucking that greasy Mafia...I could just..."

Olivia eased her hand over his shoulder and toward the back of his neck. "Easy, El," she said as she started to massage gently. "I'm trying to wrap my head around it, too, and I can't understand how she could just throw you out like that. I mean, maybe it was the money, or the power, or the attention."

"You are really not making me feel better, Liv," Elliot laughed.

"El," Olivia said, "I'm telling you that Kathy has always been a bit superficial, and a bit selfish. She saw dollar signs and fancy cars and the chance to be somebody. She didn't care about love, or respect, or loyalty, or you."

Elliot leaned back into her hand, forcing her to squeeze harder. "That feels...so good," he mumbled. "And you're right. She stopped caring about me a long time ago. If I had to guess, I'd say three years ago."

Olivia chuckled. "Same time you stopped caring about her, right?"

"Pretty much," Elliot whispered. He opened his eyes and reached out an arm, looping it around her waist. "Liv, what your father did for me, not just with that Stefano guy, but the house...and you...I never asked him..."

"I know you didn't," Olivia said, looking into his eyes.

"I love you," Elliot said, dropping his forehead to hers. He kissed her, quickly and sweetly, then added, "My little cannoli."

Olivia gave him a playful nudge and whispered, "Let's go to bed, El."

Elliot nodded, kissing her again, and got up. He watched her head for her bedroom and he headed for his, when she called to him. "What?" he asked, turning toward her.

"Would you, uh, I want you to stay with me tonight," Olivia said. "Unless, of course, you'd rather sleep in..."

Before the words were out of her mouth, Elliot had pushed his way into her bedroom. She laughed as she followed him in and closed the door behind her, hoping that sleeping in his arms that night would be as comforting as it had been that morning. There were so many thoughts, disconcerting thoughts, swimming in her head, and she needed him to make them go away, the way only he could.

**A/N: What is she thinking about? How will Elliot make those thoughts go away? Cragen gives them both a shock. The kids and Elliot move into the house, and Sunday dinner, big Italian family style! Coming up, if you want it. Drop a review here, or on Twitter. TMG212!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: What is she thinking about? How will Elliot make those thoughts go away? Cragen gives them both a shock. The kids and Elliot move into the house, and the start of Sunday dinner, big Italian family style!**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© only borrowed them, scrambled things up a bit, and played with them for a while. Relax, Wolfie, she'll give them back when she's done. Maybe.**

Olivia watched as Elliot ran back out of her room, into his bedroom, only to return a moment later in his sweatpants and tee-shirt, ready for bed. "I was a little eager," he said with a shrug and a smirk. She chuckled at him as she grabbed a pair of pajamas out of the drawer and walked into the bathroom. "I'll be out in a few," she said. "Make yourself comfortable." She shut the door and a minute later, Elliot heard water running.

Elliot got into Olivia's large, canopy bed and he sighed at it's comfort. He listened to the running water, silently imagining what she was doing in there, what she looked like, wet and naked. His eyes drifted closed and he let out a soft moan as the images grew vivid. His moans were soft, and frequent, as he pictured her showering in his mind, loving it.

"Having a nice dream, Stabler?" Olivia asked.

Elliot's eyes shot open, and there she was, drying her hair with a towel in her pajamas, standing at the foot of the bed. "Oh, uh, yeah," he said.

Olivia smirked and tossed her towel over the chair in the corner, then crawled into the bed. "It's kinda big for one person," she said. "My father bought it, hoping I'd eventually be sharing it with, well, you."

"And just look at us, now, Liv," Elliot chuckled.

Olivia laughed, staring up at the ceiling. Then she sighed heavily. "What am I gonna do about this, El?"

Elliot shrugged. "Well, we don't have to rush into..."

"Not this," Olivia said, waving her hand between them. "I meant my...family. My family is _the_ family, and now they're fucking around with _your_ family."

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "Fucking around? The only person they're fucking around with is Kathy, and I think it's pretty damn funny. I don't call helping me get a house that I couldn't even afford the front door of a week ago, or protecting me from a compromising interrogation 'fucking around."

"I guess," Olivia said. "I just...this wasn't what I had in mind when I asked you to help me find my father."

"I know," Elliot said, scooting closer to her, taking a chance. "You wanted to find the man who raped your mother. You wanted revenge, you wanted closure." He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her toward him, shocking her a bit. "What you got was unexpected. You found someone who actually kept an eye you, who wanted you, who loved you."

Olivia felt his arm around her and she felt herself slowly being tugged toward him. "El," she whispered.

"Liv," Elliot returned, looking at her. He gazed into her eyes as he other arm looped around her waist. "Just let the people who love you...love you."

Olivia scoffed. "His definition of love..."

"I wasn't talking about him," Elliot said, smiling at her. He searched her eyes fro realization and acknowledgment, and when he saw it, he moved his head closer to hers, touched his lips gently to hers, and kissed her sweetly.

Olivia's hands moved to his face and she caressed his cheeks lightly, not yet believing they were really lying in her bed, together, kissing. She pulled away smiling, then rested her head against his. "El, I...I..."

"I know you do," Elliot said, stopping her. He knew she would have a problem saying it. "Good night," he whispered, pulling her even closer, snaking a leg between hers.

"Good night," Olivia said with a smile. And she knew it would be.

* * *

When they awoke the next day, Sunday, they smiled at each other. "Morning," Olivia whispered.

"Morning," Elliot replied, kissing her forehead.

"Did we really just spend the night together?" Olivia asked, smiling.

Elliot laughed. "Fully clothed and completely innocently," he said, "But yes."

Olivia's smile grew wider as she looked at him. She kissed him sweetly, then rolled out of the bed, heading into the bathroom. When they were both fully awake and dressed, they ate breakfast, dressed, and headed for Kathy's to get the kids. The movers had already taken most of Elliot's things to the new house, so they only had a few boxes to load into the SUV, and then they headed to the rather large, expensive house on the Upper East Side, a few blocks away from Olivia.

"Dad," Maureen said, plopping a large box on their couch, which was sitting in the middle of their new living room, "How can we afford this place?"

"We can," Elliot said, dropping two more boxes.

Dickie and Lizzie walked in with more boxes. Dickie dropped his and said, "We all have our own rooms, for the first time, ever."

"Are we really spending weekends at Liv's?" Lizzie asked, changing the subject.

Elliot laughed. "Yeah, Lizzie, we are. Is that okay with you guys?"

Kathleen dropped her box with a thud. "Okay?" she asked with folded arms. "The only that would make it more 'okay' would be if we had a build-your-own-sundae bar there every Friday."

"We can arrange that," Olivia smirked, putting away the books and things on the entertainment center.

Kathleen laughed. "Oh, I love this new arrangement," she said with a smile. "That was the last box, Dad."

"Okay," Elliot said. "Go unpack in your rooms. Liv and I will handle things in here, and we'll do the kitchen later."

The kids all ran up the stairs into their rooms to unpack, then Olivia looked at Elliot. "That was real smooth, Stabler," she said.

"You liked that, did ya?" Elliot asked, stepping toward her, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her neck.

"Oh, yeah," Olivia said. "Get rid of the kids so we can..."

Elliot cut her off with a kiss. He nodded as the kiss deepened and smirked against her lips, backing her up into the wooden furniture unit she was fixing up. He moved one hand to the shelf, holding them steady.

Olivia held him close, and just as their hands were about to grab more than furniture, Olivia's cell phone rang. "Shit," she sp[at into the kiss. They pulled their lips apart, but remained touching, noses rubbing. "Benson," she said into the phone she pulled out of her pocket. "Hey, Cap. Yeah. Helping Elliot move, actually. What? No, uh, why would I have any idea who he..." she paused, her eyes closing. "Yeah. But how did you...yes, Sir. First thing tomorrow morning. With Elliot? Why? Oh, great. Yeah. Thanks, Cap. Bye." She hung up and scoffed. "Wonderful," she spat.

"What, honey?" Elliot asked, brushing her hair back.

Olivia shook her head, taking a deep breath. "Cragen was filing some things in the chief's office while he was at a meeting, and he found..."

"Shit," Elliot said, knowingly. "He knows?"

"Yeah," Olivia said. "He knows. He wants to talk to us tomorrow. He doesn't know you know, but he thinks you should, so he wants me to tell you."

"So tell me," Elliot said, smirking. He kissed her neck and chuckled. "Tell me, Liv."

Olivia gasped at the feeling of his lips on her skin and said, "Elliot, my father is one of the most powerful mob bosses on the planet." She ran a hand through his hair and said, "He is the most powerful man in New York City, and he thinks I should marry my partner."

Elliot laughed, moving his lips over her neck and nibbling on her ear. "Speaking of your father, aren't we having dinner with him tonight?"

"In about an hour," Olivia said, nodding and letting out a soft moan. "Him and my whole family. He wants us to bring the kids."

"Why wouldn't we?" Elliot asked. "If I go, and you go, then they go. It's kind of a give in," he said. He peeled himself off of Olivia and said, "We should try to get some of this stuff unpacked before we go, right?"

Olivia yawned and nodded. "Yeah," she said. She grabbed some more books, silently dreading the dinner that laid in her future.

* * *

Elliot had told the kids to dress nicely, piled them into the SUV and headed out to Olivia's father's place. He told them to be polite and not make any snide comments, no matter what happened.

"This place is huge," Maureen said as the car pulled up to the marble building.

"Huge isn't the word," Dickie said, amazed. "It's enormous!"

Elliot chuckled as Olivia rolled her eyes. "Yeah," he said. "It is."

They got out of the SUV, assisted by the men in the white suits, and they headed for the door. "Madame Olivia," Rolf said, opening the door, "And Master Elliot. Welcome."

"Thanks, Ralph," Olivia said with her usual disdain for the Italian Frenchman.

"Please, Madame," the butler said, taking all of their jackets. "It's Rolf."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Where is everyone, Pierre?"

"Pi...never mind," the man said. "Your father is in his study, the others are in the dining room, waiting."

Elliot raised an eyebrow, huddling his kids together. "Waiting?" he asked. "For what?"

Rolf smirked, stepping out of the way, holding an arm out in the direction of the dining room. He looked very much like a member of the family as he said, "For you."

**A/N: The dinner! Conversation, an argument, a surprise, and an uninvited guest! Next! Reviews are welcome and appreciated, here or on Twitter. TMG212**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: The dinner! Conversation, an argument, a surprise, and an uninvited guest!**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© only borrowed them, scrambled things up a bit, and played with them for a while. Relax, Wolfie, she'll give them back when she's done. Maybe.**

Elliot and Olivia walked toward the dining room, listening to the kids gasp and "ohh" and "ahh" at the furnishings in the house.

"Wow, Liv," Maureen said brightly, "You never told us you come from money!"

"Liv," Dickie said, "Could you, like, buy me a car or..."

"Dickie!" Elliot spat, raising an eyebrow.

Dickie shrugged. "What?"

Olivia chuckled and led the Stablers into the dining room. She gestured around the table, pointing, as she made introductions. "Okay, uh, guys, that is my brother Vinny, my brother Sal, my aunt Carmina, my uncle Lou and his wife Rona, their daughter Louisa, and that's my cousin Angelo, his wife Noella, and their son Jack."

Elliot and his kids smiled and shook hands or waved at everyone. Then Olivia said, "This is Elliot, Maureen, Kathleen, Dickie, and Lizzie." She smiled at each kid, then gave Elliot a warning glance, trying to let him know what he was in for. They Sat around the huge oak table, and as they waited for her father, Rolf poured water and wine, and placed large bread baskets in the front of each section of the table.

"Are we eating at Liv's Dad's house or at Sardi's?" Kathleen asked, her jaw dropped.

"I thought I told you to be polite, no wise cracks," Elliot hissed at his daughter.

Olivia put her hand over his. "It's okay," she said. "Sometimes I ask myself that very question."

Elliot was about to say something to her when the man of the house walked into the room. Instantly, every man stood up to shake his hand, and Elliot, feeling obligated, did the same.

"Elliot," Geanetti said, "You came. And you brought the kids. What a good looking family you have."

"Thanks," Elliot said, smiling at the man.

Geanetti smirked. "How's the new house?" he asked.

Elliot nodded at him and said, "Oh, it's..."

"Wonderful!" Lizzie cried, interrupting.

Maureen piped in with, "Amazing!"

"Good," Geanetti said with a laugh. "That's good." He gestured to the table and said, "You guys can sit. Let's eat, and welcome Elliot and the kids into the family."

Vinny snapped his head toward Olivia. "Hey, Bella, _e' sposato il vostro socio_?"

"No, Vinny! We're not married!" Olivia said, throwing a roll at his head. "Jackass," she spat, rolling her eyes.

Vinny threw the bread back at her. "Well, he said welcome them to the..."

"Vincenzo," Geanetti said, looking at his son, "Figure of speech, kid." He patted Vinny's head and shook his own. "Rolf, _ensalada,_ eh?"

The butler nodded and walked into the kitchen, coming out a moment later with another employee, and they began serving salad to everyone.

"So, Elliot," the man who was introduced as Olivia's uncle Lou began. "What line'a work are you in?"

Elliot, moving aside so the salad could be put in front of him, said, "I'm a detective, just like Liv. I'm, uh, her partner, actually."

"Oh, that must be so excitin'," Lou's wife Rona said, her eyes and smile both wide.

"Oh, what, now what I do ain't excitin'?" Lou barked at her.

Rona made an annoying noise and put her hands on her hips. "That ain't what I said, Lou, and you know it!" She and Lou began to toss a few choice phrases at each other, yelling.

Olivia slumped in her seat, mumbling, "Oh, here we go."

The kids were so enthralled by the fight going on, they didn't even blink as they ate, mechanically. "Dad," Dickie said, "If we come here for dinner every Sunday, we won't need cable."

Elliot had to chuckle, then he sent Olivia an apologetic glance. She narrowed her eyes at him, then winked, telling him she, too, was finding it hare to keep from laughing.

When lettuce went flying, that's when Geanetti stepped in. "Lou! Rona! Please, knock it the hell off! Not in front of the kids, huh?" he said, pointing angrily at the four young Stablers. "I want them to feel like their part of a family, not a damned circus!"

Lou and Rona looked at him, then at the kids, then they quietly mumbled an apology to each other.

Rolf, who had waited until the shouting had stopped to clear his throat, said, "Master Geanetti, you have another guest. And the soup will be out shortly."

"You really enjoy your job, huh, Ralph?" Olivia said, smirking at the butler.

"Madame Olivia," Rolf said, "Even if I didn't, I would never admit it out loud." He smirked back at her, then led Geanetti into the main hall to greet the uninvited guest.

Elliot leaned into Olivia and asked, "Is it like this every Sunday?"

Olivia looked at him, smirking, and said, "No. They're toning it down for you guys."

"Hey, Bella," Vinny said, using his pet name for her. "Have you and _the figlio di puttana..." _

"Jesus, Vin, _chiudere il becco_, huh?" Olivia said, her God-given temper showing through. She looked at Elliot, who was grinning madly at her, and she said, "He called you a son of a bitch and I just told him to shut up, don't look so proud of me."

"I love it when you speak Italian," Elliot whispered to her. "Or Spanish. Or that time you interrogated that guy in Russian...it was so damn sexy."

"Stabler," Olivia said, narrowing her eyes a little. "_Chiudere e mangiare_."

"God, that's hot," Elliot whispered into her ear. "What'd you say?"

Olivia gave him a seductive look, raised her fork to his lips, and when he bit her tomato off of the end she said, "I told you to shut up and eat."

Elliot chuckled and chewed, and took a chance. He kissed her, softly, as her entire family, and his kids, looked on.

"Elliot," Olivia whispered, stunned, as he pulled away.

"You got a problem with me kissing you?" Elliot asked, whispering to her. "My little cannoli?"

Olivia rolled her eyes with a half-smile and shook her head, turning her attention back to the people at the table. Just as she was about to start a conversation with her aunt, Geanetti walked back in, with his guest.

"Holy shit," Elliot spat in a harsh whisper.

Olivia's eyes widened. "Uh, Dad, what is..."

"Dad?" the man who walked in questioned. "Detective Benson is your daughter?" he asked, shocked.

Geanetti smirked, then nodded. "That's why I wanted you to stay for dinner, Eddie. See, my little poppet there? She's your boss, now."

Elliot and Olivia looked at each other, then back to Geanetti and Ed Tucker. "What are you talking about, Dad?" Olivia asked.

"Eddie owes me," Geanetti said. "He owes me big, and until he can pay his debt, he's gonna bow to every move you and Elliot make. Ain't ya, Eddie?"

Tucker shot Elliot a murderous look, then glared at Olivia. He turned back to Geanetti and said, "Yes, Sir," and sat down at the last empty chair in the room.

Geanetti clapped his hands together once and Rolf and a helper brought in the soup, setting down bowls as they cleared away plates.

"Dad," Maureen said, "This is better than any restaurant we've ever been to, hands down."

"Yeah," Kathleen said, looking at the bowl of minestrone soup in front of her. "I think I like our new family."

"They're not family," Dickie said, spooning the soup into his mouth. "Not yet, anyway."

Sal, Olivia's brother, cleared his throat. "Uh, hey," he said, getting the table's attention. "I'd like to, uh, make a toast. For the first time, in the three years that I've known her, I am sitting at this table with my sister and her, uh, friend, and his family. We've all heard so much about you, Elliot. And about you kids, too. I hope this is not the last meal we will share together, but the first of many." He raised his wine glass, and one by one, everyone else did the same.

"Sal," Olivia said, wide-eyed. "Sal, don't!"

Sal raised an eyebrow. "Welcome to the family," he said, smirking at Olivia. He saw her eyes close as he sipped his wine, and he chuckled.

"Sal," Olivia groaned. "Why the hell did you do that?"

Elliot, putting his glass down, looked at Olivia. "I thought it was really nice, Liv. It's okay."

"No, it's not," Olivia said, getting out of her chair and pulling Elliot up, too. She yanked him into the hallway and ran her free hand through her hair. "El," she said, "He just welcomed you into the family."

"I know," Elliot said. "I know we aren't married, or even...are we even dating yet?"

"Not _my_ family," Olivia said, holding his gaze. "_The_ family. Congratulations, you now work for my father! Fuck, I knew he would want something from you. I knew he wasn't just being nice, with the house, and Kathy, and that..."

Elliot interrupted her. "Hold on," he said. "What does that mean? I work for him?"

Olivia shook her head quickly and slid her hands down his chest. "He's not gonna make you kill anyone, or anything like that. He will, however, expect you to follow his rules, and his orders, no matter what they are." She looked up at him, her hands sliding lower, tugging lightly at his waistband. "Most likely, it'll have to do with me."

Elliot wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling certain tension build as he looked down at her, into her eyes. "I can do that," he said. "I'd eventually be in the same position, right? If we ever did get married, I would have to do all of that, anyway," he told her, gently swaying with her.

"What's happening here, El?" Olivia asked, her body inching closer to his, moving with his.

"Here, at dinner?" Elliot asked. "Or here, with us?"

"Both," Olivia whispered, closing her eyes as they stopped moving.

Elliot whispered, right against her lips, "Our lives are changing." He kissed her softly, once, and then whispered, "I love you, and you love me, and it's okay to say it now." He kissed her again, a little longer, then finally whispered, "And Tucker has to kiss our asses, so he can't say shit about it." His lips crashed into hers one more time, and they both moaned into it. His hands twisted up her body and looped through her hair as the kiss deepened.

Olivia's hands scratched up and down his back, her hips rolled into his, making them both groan, and the tension rose. Just as Olivia was about to snake her hands under the cotton of his shirt, they heard a throat clear.

"Dinner," Rolf said with a grin on his face, "Is served. It appears, though, you would both rather have dessert first."

Olivia rolled her eyes and slapped Rolf in the arm. "Damn right," she said.

"Madame Olivia," Rolf said, watching her turn around, "Master Salvatore wished for me to tell you, he didn't mean it that way. He meant...well, there's an Italian expression, _Il_ _sangue della mia famiglia è il sangue di mia_."

Olivia furrowed her brow, thinking for a moment. "My family's blood is also my own," she whispered, for Elliot's benefit. She smirked at Rolf and that's when she knew. She knew exactly why Sal had done what he did. Elliot was a part of her, and she was a part of this family. Her father wouldn't be using Elliot, he's be protecting him, protecting her. However, that protection would come with an awful lot of strings attached. An awful lot of family ties.

The first tie, they would find out, would be severed in Cragen's office the next morning.

**A/N: What happens in Cragen's office? Who else finds out about Olivia's heritage, and hates her for it? And who suddenly disappears without a trace, linking a kidnapping to Olivia's brother? Find out, next, if you want to. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: What happens in Cragen's office? Who else finds out about Olivia's heritage, and hates her for it? And who suddenly disappears without a trace, linking a kidnapping to Olivia's brother? Sorry for the short chappy. Preparing for another camp overnight!**

**DISCLAMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© only borrowed them, scrambled things up a bit, and played with them for a while. Relax, Wolfie, she'll give them back when she's done. Maybe.**

"Stop it," Olivia spat, stifling a laugh, as Elliot sat across from her hurling paperclips at her. "Seriously, stop it."

"I'm bored," Elliot moaned. "We haven't had a call yet, and my partner, Wonder Woman, finished all of our paperwork."

"No she didn't," Olivia said, raising an eyebrow. "She keeps trying to finish going over this last 'Five, but Superman keeps whipping paper-clips at her!"

Cragen opened his door at that moment. "Uh, Superman, Wonder Woman, get in here!"

Olivia and Elliot looked at each other. "Coming, Darth Vader," Elliot mumbled. He hummed the Imperial March as he and Olivia walked toward the office, causing Olivia to elbow him in the ribs. He chuckled and calmed himself as they walked into the captain's room.

"Olivia," Cragen said, glaring at her, "Do you have something to say to Elliot?"

Olivia looked at Elliot, and with as straight a face as she could muster, she said, "I'm pregnant."

"What?" Elliot and Cragen spat together.

Olivia chuckled. "I'm not, but the looks on both of your faces was so worth saying it." She took a deep breath, looked at Cragen, and then looked at Elliot. She looked back at Cragen and said, "He knows. He knows everything."

Cragen narrowed his eyes. "Everything?" he asked.

"Yeah," Olivia said, nodding. "He, uh, met my father," she said, leaving out the part about the kids meeting him, too, and the new, romantic aspect of their relationship.

Cragen ran his hand down his face and nodded. "Okay. That's good then. Now, can you tell me why I got a call from Ed Tucker at three in the goddamned morning, yelling about mistakes in disciplinary actions? He came in here at five, ranting and raving, until I gave him both of your jackets. What the hell did you two do now?"

Elliot scrunched up his face. "Nothing!" he yelled. "Maybe tucker is erasing something, Cap. You know damn well he wrote us up for shit we didn't do. Maybe he grew a fucking conscience."

"Yeah," Cragen said, scoffing, "We'll see. Look, I know he's your father, Olivia, but he is a very dangerous man. You have to limit the time you spend with him, how close you get, and how involved you become with his...business dealings. You are a cop. He is...not. I don't want you to forget that."

Olivia couldn't believe what Cragen was saying. He was asking her to distance herself from her own family, but she couldn't fault him for it. He wanted to keep her out of trouble. "I know that," she said. "I won't." She looked at Elliot, who saw the lie in her eyes.

"Good," Cragen said, nodding. "Your first call of the day, Wonder Woman." He handed her a pink paper, and her face fell. "You and Superman gonna be able to handle it?"

"No problem," Olivia said as she paled and cleared her throat. "No problem at all."

* * *

After searching the crime scene, trying to locate the suspect, and questioning witnesses, Elliot looked at Olivia and sighed. "They're all describing..."

"I know," Olivia said. "And he isn't answering his cell. This doesn't look good."

Elliot led her to their car and shook his head. "Your father isn't trying to cover this one up," he said. "Something's not right, here."

"Yeah," Olivia said, opening her door. "That means he did it." She slammed the door and waited for Elliot to get in and start the car. She knew right away where Elliot would be driving.

"Liv," Elliot said, "What would be in it for him? What could he possibly gain from kidnapping..."

"Cragen knew," Olivia interrupted. "He knew just by looking at the name of the kid that someone in my family was involved. That alone is enough to assume..."

Elliot cut her off. "Okay, but what motive would he have?"

Olivia sighed and ran a hand over her face. "It's probably the son of someone who probably owes my father more money than he has."

"Only one way to find out," Elliot said, driving in the direction Olivia knew he'd be heading.

They parked in the long driveway, were let out of the vehicle by two men in white uniforms, and as usual they were greeted at the door by Rolf.

"Madame Olivia," Rolf began, but he was stopped abruptly.

"It's 'Detective' right now, Ralph," Olivia said with her usual attitude as she held up her badge.

Rolf moved back, his eyes wide and wary, and he nodded at Elliot. "Right," he said. "Master Geanetti is in..."

"His study," Olivia said. "What else is new?" She walked with a gruff swagger toward the study and opened it without knocking.

"Poppet!" Geanetti cried, as the people he was meeting with turned to the door. Elliot's eyes met Geanetti's for a moment, as Olivia took a step forward.

Olivia smirked. "Sorry to interrupt," she said. "I need to talk to Sal. Do you know where he is?"

"Now is not a good time, poppet," Geanetti said, gesturing to his company.

"Oh," Olivia said, raising her badge. "It's a perfect time. I'm not gonna trade lasagna recipes with him, Dad."

Geanetti's eyes widened. "I don't know where he is, why?"

Olivia looked at the people in the room, then at her father. "I shouldn't talk about this in front of them. Police business."

Geanetti went white, just as Olivia had in Cragen's office. "If you will excuse me," he said to the two men sitting in front of his desk. He walked toward the door, leading Olivia and Elliot into the hall. He walked with them to another room, then turned and asked, "Talk. What is this about?"

"He's gone," Elliot said. "He's been, uh, implicated in the kidnapping of Arturo Denetto."

"Artie?" Geanetti cried. "No, that's...why would Sal do that?"

Olivia tilted her head. "Did Francesco Denetto owe you any money?"

"Oh, poppet," Geanetti scoffed, "Everyone in the city owes me money in some way. But the family is close with us, they weren't going to hold out on...what do you mean he's gone?" he asked, suddenly changing his train of thought.

Elliot folded his arms and cleared his throat. "Well, uh, we went to his place, called him, he didn't show up to work today, and you don't know where he is. He's gone."

Geanetti swallowed hard and closed his eyes as his arms crossed. "Jersey," he said. "That's the only place he'd go without telling me, if he was trying to get away from something."

"Where in Jersey?" Olivia asked, folding her own arms, looking a little like her father, and a little like Elliot.

Geanetti walked over to a desk in the corner and scrawled an address on a slip of paper. "His mother's old place. I still own it, for financial reasons. Real estate, you know." He handed the paper to Elliot then looked at Olivia. "I wouldn't give this to you unless I either knew he was innocent, or I knew he was guilty. Poppet, I swear, this time I really just don't know."

"I believe you, Dad," Olivia said, looking down at the paper in her hand. "Wayne?" she asked. "Could we be more Italian?"

"Only if we owned a Marinara sauce company," Geanetti joked. "When you find him, poppet..."

"I can't call you, Dad," Olivia interrupted. She remembered Cragen's words, and wanted to follow her orders. "He's an adult. Legally, you have no reason to know."

Geanetti raised an eyebrow at her. "Poppet?" he sang.

Olivia took a breath and looked at her father. "I'll call you," she said. And she would, because some family bonds were hard to break.

Elliot looked at her, then took her hand as they left. He walked her to the door, bid farewell to Rolf, then walked out to their car, which was waiting with Geanetti's team of valets. Once inside, Olivia handed Elliot the address. "I'll call Cragen," she said. "I can't arrest my own brother. We need to have backup on standby."

Elliot nodded. "Liv," he said, "Sal wouldn't really do this, would he?"

"If he thought someone was trying to hurt the family? Yeah," Olivia answered honestly. She pulled her touch-screen phone out of her pocket and looked at it for a moment. Before she could dial Cragen's number, it rang. "Benson," she spat into the phone. She listened, then she gasped, then she closed her eyes. She ended the call with a gruff, "Shit," and looked back to Elliot. "Turn around," she said.

"What?" Elliot asked, surprised. "Why? Who was on the phone? Your father?"

"No," Olivia said, visibly shaken. "El, my brother didn't kidnap anyone. Baby," she said, forcing Elliot to look at her and smile slightly at the pet name, " That was a ransom call. He's been kidnapped."

**A/N: A trip to Jersey, a night in a motel, and a new binding ties for Olivia and Elliot. Is Sal okay? Who kidnapped him? What's Tucker doing with their files? And why does Cragen really want Olivia to separate herself from her family? More? Tell me here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: A trip to Jersey, a night in a motel, and new binding ties for Olivia and Elliot. Is Sal okay? Who kidnapped him? And why does Cragen really want Olivia to separate herself from her family?**

**DISCLAMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© only borrowed them, scrambled things up a bit, and played with them for a while. Relax, Wolfie, she'll give them back when she's done. Maybe.**

"This is just perfect," Olivia said sarcastically, carrying two bags through a motel room door. "One room in a fleabag motel on the side of Route Forty-Six, in fucking Wayne, New Jersey."

"Hey," Elliot said, putting his bag down in a corner, "The 'one-room' part isn't so bad." He chuckled at the thought of sharing a bed with her while they were working, then he sighed. "Granted, if Cragen knew..."

"It was all they had left," Olivia interrupted. "If you leave it to the NYPD to make all of the arrangements in advance, this is what you get."

Elliot laughed again, then took one of the bags out of Olivia's hands. "I still can't believe they're letting us work this case."

"We're working one aspect of it," Olivia corrected. "We're trying to save the kid. Three other people are looking for Sal."

"Not like you're not gonna do both," Elliot mumbled, putting the camera together.

Olivia tossed her other bag into the corner, it landed on top of Elliot's, and she said, "Not like you're not gonna help me."

Elliot shrugged. "Touché," he said, smirking. He dropped the fully assembled camera onto the bed, then moved the duffle bag of equipment to the floor. He cleared his throat and said, "Oh. I, uh, called Chief Monahan this morning. Just to double-check the details of cross jurisdiction, see if we had clearance to be in Jersey."

"Okay," Olivia said, raising an eyebrow. "Why are you acting like it was an important conver..."

"You're father lied to you," Elliot interrupted with a sigh. "The chief has no clue you're related to the Geanetti's. He was actually pushing for us to get this case because he thought we were the only ones in the department without any ties to them."

Olivia blinked. "We're working this solo, then," she said, trying to understand, "And no one but Cragen and Tucker, and Ryan, knows about my family. Is that what you're saying?"

Elliot bit his lip and nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Well, more people know than that, obviously, but...no one that will affect your job."

Olivia ran a hand through her hair and exhaled. She sat next to Elliot and said, "Now I have to worry about what happens when they do find out."

Elliot looped an arm around her waist, kissed her cheek, and said, "Don't worry about it, my little cannolli. I'm sure your dad will take care of everything."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Olivia said with a small chuckle. She nudged him with her elbow and said, "Shower, shave, bed. We have a long day tomorrow."

Elliot got up, held out his hand, and said, "Come with me."

Olivia raised an eyebrow, then her eyes widened. "El, are you...you..."

"Trust me," Elliot said, pulling her up. He walked her into the bathroom, closing the door behind them. He turned to Olivia, looking her in the eyes as he moved. He reached around her, turning on the water, making it hot like she liked it. He stood up again, still looking at her, giving her ample time to leave, run, stop him, something. "You do trust me, don't you?" he asked, seeing the surprised look on her face.

"You know I do," Olivia said, gazing into his eyes. "This just seems..."

"Like two people conserving water, Liv," Elliot said with a smirk. "Nothing has to happen, I just...I want to spend some time with you, alone..."

"Naked and wet?" Olivia queried with a raised eyebrow.

Elliot chuckled as he pulled his tee shirt over his head. "Hell yes," he mumbled. His hands moved over her arms, and his eyes sought hers for permission, and when she nodded, he took the hem of her shirt in his hands and pulled lightly.

Olivia raised her arms, helping him get the material away from her body, and she tensed up when his hands moved to her jeans. She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering how to breathe, and she opened them to find him staring at her. She watched the corners of his lips turn up into a smirk as her jeans dropped to her feet, and he took a step back.

Elliot eyed her up and down, his face serious, his breath ragged. "Damn, baby," he whispered. "You're gorgeous."

"I'm Italian," Olivia said, shrugging a little. She took his hand in hers and said, "Water's getting cold."

"I don't want to rush this," Elliot said, shaking his head. "I've been waiting for this for too damn long, Liv. Besides, uh, when it comes to you...I'm used to taking cold showers."

Olivia smirked at that remark, but said, "I'm not." She slid her delicate hands over his jeans, undoing the button and the zipper, and she slid them down, taking his briefs along with them. She didn't look down, though. She was keeping her composure. She kept her eyes focused on his as she slid her own underwear off, then turned away from him before he could get a good look at her body. She slid down her bra straps, unhooked it, and looked at him, over her shoulder, as she dropped it to the floor and got into the shower.

Elliot, his mouth dry and his eyes blurry, stepped forward and put a slightly shaking hand on the curtain. He pulled it back and stepped into the shower, meeting Olivia's back. He let the hot water hit him for a moment, the steam filling the room, then he rested his hands on her shoulders and slid them up and down her arms, caressing.

Olivia moaned, her eyes closing and her head dropping back onto his chest, and she finally turned to face him. Still not looking down, she looked into his eyes and moved, her lips catching his.

Elliot moaned softly, pulling her flush against him, feeling her slick, bare body against his. He knew he was hardening, he knew she'd feel it, there was no way she wouldn't, but he didn't mind. They were together now, after all, and they were allowed to explore each other in ways they never could before. He ran his hands over every inch of her body, lightly, just grazing the most sensitive areas, and they both made light, soft, whispering moans as they kissed.

Olivia did the same, touching parts of him that she'd only dreamed of before, ever-so-lightly, not wanting to ruin the romance and newness of this by getting carried away too quickly. She pulled her hands off of him and reached for the freshly unwrapped soap, swirling it around in her hands for a moment before rubbing it over his chest.

Elliot, a bit stunned by her rather intimate move, looked at her and smiled. "I love you," he said to her.

Olivia, almost dropping the soap, took a deep breath and looked up into his eyes as she said, "I love you, too, El."

Elliot took the soap out of her hands, held her still, and moved back, finally looking at her. "You're perfect, you know that?" he asked softly, touching her cheek.

Olivia smirked. "In your opinion," she said. She let her eyes drop, run over his body, and she looked back up at him. "Now I know where the ego comes from," she joked.

"I guess, yeah, I'm a bit cocky," Elliot quipped. He watched Olivia laugh, then pulled her back toward him. He reached for the small bottle of shampoo and kissed her sweetly, planning to be gentle as he loved her in the most beautiful, yet innocent, way.

* * *

Dried off and in their pajamas, Olivia and Elliot were lying in the bed, cuddled together, kissing and softly touching. "We should be sleeping," Elliot whispered.

"I can't stop kissing you," Olivia whispered back, her lips brushing over his.

"We have a job to do," Elliot said, trying to convince himself to pull away from her.

Olivia hummed and nodded. "Can't do anything until we get the phone call giving us the green light, though," she reminded him. "We're just killing time here, really," she said with a smirk, kissing him again. "We'd both be awake anyway."

"True," Elliot said, pulling on Olivia's bottom lip with his teeth. "Liv, baby, I..." He was interrupted when his cell phone rang.

"That can't be Cragen already," Olivia said, sitting up and turning on the light.

Elliot answered his phone with a gruff sounding, "Stabler." He listened to the person on the other end, glanced at Olivia, and said, "Yes. She is. Of course! It's my job. Well, even if it wasn't...you know what I mean. How did that...okay, yeah. I do. Very much. I would always choose her. I just don't understand why you're asking...hello?" He looked at the phone in his hands and then looked up at Olivia. "Your father just hung up on me," he said.

"My father?" Olivia asked, running her fingers through her hair. "What did he want?"

Elliot put his phone back down on the side table. "He told me...he wanted to know if you were with me, and then he told me I needed to protect you, no matter what. Duh, right?" he chuckled. "Then he asked me if I really loved you, answer to that is 'God, yes'. I love you more than anything. Then he asked me...if I ever had to choose between you and Kathy again...you heard me, I told him I would always choose you."

Olivia's phone buzzed at that moment, and she tapped the screen, reading the e-mail she'd just been sent. "Oh, my God," she said, getting out of the bed. "Elliot, my father knows who's got Sal." She walked over to the bag in the corner, pulled out a pair of black pants and a red shirt.

Elliot got up, too, and walked toward her. "How do you know?" he asked.

"El, please," Olivia said. "He just told me," she said, throwing her phone to him. "My father wants you to protect me...meaning he thinks someone is after me, probably the same person who has Sal."

"Or he just wants to make sure I have your back, like I always do," Elliot suggested, putting the phone down, not wanting to think there could be someone after Olivia.

Olivia tossed Elliot a blue button-down shirt. "Okay, then why did he want to know if you would choose me over your ex-wife? Clearly, you've already done that."

"Okay, Detective Benson," Elliot said, changing. "What do you think?"

Olivia tugged on her shirt, and looked at Elliot. "I think...my dad is gonna go after this guy, and he's gonna make a trade."

"You think he's gonna give you up to get Sal back?" Elliot asked, disbelieving. "You're his little..."

"No," Olivia interjected, clipping her badge to her hip. "I think he's gonna give up Kathy to get Sal back. Sal wasn't the one he needed, El. Did you read that e-mail?"

Elliot pulled up his pants and shook his head. "No, why?" he asked, tilting his head.

Olivia sighed. "My father is gonna give Kathy to this prick," she began. "The man will assume you will go after him, trying to get your wife back, and the only way he will give you Kathy is if you give him someone else."

"Who?" Elliot asked, afraid he already knew the answer.

Olivia made sure her gun was loaded, then put it in her holster as she said, "Me."

Before Elliot could say anything, his cell rang again. "Stabler," he said, slight wavers in his voice. "Yeah, Cap. We're ready to move. Right. Five minutes. Bye."

"Elliot," Olivia called. She lifted her phone off of the bed and handed it to him. "Read that e-mail. Now."

Elliot kissed her forehead, taking the phone from her, and tapped the screen. He found her mail icon, tapped it, and opened the most recent message. His eyes widened as he read it, and he couldn't believe what he was finding out. "Shit, baby," he said, looking at her. "That's why he told you to stay away from your family. He didn't want them finding out about this, and he didn't want you under your father's control or protection."

"I don't wanna talk about why Cragen did what he did," Olivia said. "All I know is, he owes the Denetto family a lot of money..."

"And giving them you would pay off his debt," Elliot finished. "So this fucker took Sal, because Cragen didn't hand you over in time. Now he's gonna get Kathy as ransom from your father to get Sal, hoping it'll force me to give you over to him to save her?"

"You got it," Olivia said. "Cragen isn't implicated at all, you look like the hero for saving your wife," she paused. "But what they don't know is my father told me evertyhing, and you just said you'd always choose me over Kathy."

Elliot put his hand on the doorknob and sighed. "I would. So...what does that mean, then? If this guy's plan doesn't work, if I don't give you up?"

"Whoever this jackass is will probably kill Kathy," Olivia said, putting on her jacket, "Unless we get there in time."

"Fucking hell," Elliot said, running a hand down his face as he opened the door.

"Like Sal said on Sunday," Olivia said, walking out of the room, "Welcome to the family, baby." She kissed him hard and deep, then pulled away roughly, leading Elliot out of the motel.

**A/N: Cragen is tied up in a different family? He was really going to sacrifice Olivia? Or is there more to this plot? What happens when Olivia and Elliot meet up with her father and the kidnapper? Will the case take a turn for the worst? Will surviving a traumatic experience convince Olivia to take the next step with Elliot, or do they even survive at all? Find out, if you review! Here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Cragen is tied up in a different family? He was really going to sacrifice Olivia? Or is there more to this plot? What happens when Olivia and Elliot meet up with her father and the kidnapper? Will the case take a turn for the worst? Will surviving a traumatic experience convince Olivia to take the next step with Elliot, or do they even survive at all?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

When their car pulled up to the location Geanetti had given them, they saw him with Kathy, ready to hand him over to the man who, it appeared, had his son. Sal was still, quiet, as if he wasn't afraid. As if he knew he wasn't in danger.

Olivia opened her car door slowly, her gun already in her hand, and she looked at Elliot.

Elliot nodded at her, and he followed her, stealthily, staying low to the ground. They both stood up behind a wall, guns ready, out of sight, listening. They saw the scene. Olivia's father with Kathy facing the man with the gun, Sal, and the young Arturro Denetto.

"It's not him you want," Geanetti said. "Give me my son, and the kid, and take the blonde."

The man they assumed was either Denetto or one of his goons, said, "You swear he's gonna come after her?" he asked, dropping his gun. He pushed lightly at the boy's head with the barrel. Willing to kill such a small child.

"You have my word," Geanetti said, throwing a very frightened Kathy into the vile man's waiting arms.

"Here," the man said, hurling Sal and the boy back at Geanetti. "Take him. Ya know, you're setting up your own daughter, here," he chuckled.

Geanetti, narrowing his eyes, smirked. "You really think Elliot is gonna give her to you? Newsflash, pal." He made sure he was in front of Sal and said, "He would never do that. They ain't married anymore, Leo."

The man, named Leo, yanked on Kathy's hair. "That true?" he asked, his evil eyes glaring into hers.

Geanetti and Sal took the opportunity to run, far and fast, into their car and speed away, leaving Arturo there. Olivia's cell phone buzzed, she knew it was her father calling to warn her, but she ignored it.

"Elliot's gonna come for me," Kathy said, wide-eyed. "He has to," she cried. "I'm the mother of his children. He'd choose me over her."

Leo seemed satisfied, then he cocked the trigger on his gun and said, "So, we wait." He turned, looking behind him, and said, "Make the call!"

A man in the shadowed safety of a car, dialed a number. All was silent. Elliot's cell-phone buzzed in his pocket at that moment, and he gave a look, a shocked one, to Olivia. "Cragen," he whispered.

"You don't think...he can't be, Elliot," Olivia said, refusing to believe it. She had enough of the game, stepping out into the light, her gun drawn in front of her. "Let her go, Leo," she ordered, her voice dominant.

Leo chuckled, shaking his head. "I wanted the cat, but you brought me the mouse," he said. "I wanted to see the look on your face when he gave you up, when he chose this pretty, blonde thing over you."

"Not gonna happen," Elliot said, his own gun aimed.

"Oh, now this is classic," Leo said. He turned around toward the car and said, "You didn't tell me he wouldn't bite."

Cragen, worried now, got out of the car. "Elliot, be reasonable here," he said. "Kathy's the mother of your children, the woman you spent years of your love committed to, loving. Do you really want to give that up?"

"You really expected me to give Olivia to this guy?" Elliot asked, furious. "You're her captain, and her friend! You should be looking out for her! She thought of you as a father!"

"Until she found her real one!" Cragen yelled back.

Elliot, not dropping his gun, looked at his captain. "Is that what this is about?" he asked, his brow creasing.

"I don't have time to chit-chat," Leo said, the gun still pressed to Kathy's head. "Either you give me that hot little piece of ass you got there, or Barbie here gets a new hole in her head."

Elliot was about to say something, when out of the corner of his eye, he saw Olivia drop her gun. "Liv," he shouted. "Liv, baby, what are you doing?"

Olivia looked at Elliot, staring sternly into his eyes. "Giving him what he wants," she said with a slight nod. She was telling him, silently, what she needed him to do, what he had to do.

Elliot's eyes widened as he saw her walk over to the lunatic with the gun. "Liv, stop," he commanded. "Damn it, Olivia!"

"I can't let him hurt Kathy," Olivia said, reaching them. When Leo threw Kathy to the ground and grab her, she added, "And Don needs this to happen." She felt the cold metal pressed against her head. She locked eyes with Elliot. she told him, without words, to take a shot when he had one.

Leo chuckled. "Too easy," he said. "Don, once I get out of her with her, your debt will be cleared. That is, once she's..." he paused, turned to her, inhaled her as he ran his face up her neck. "Used," he continued.

Olivia cringed. Suddenly she felt sick. She turned her head and met Cragen's eyes, and they looked sad. Guilty. She held in a strangled sob and looked back at Elliot. "El," she said. "It's okay."

Elliot kicked a rock, which rolled into a nearby trashcan. The noise distracted Leo only for a moment, but Elliot, closing one eye, moved slightly to the right and fired his gun. He ran over to Olivia, pulled her into his arms, and whispered, "You're okay," over and over again.

"Yeah," Olivia said, letting out a harsh breath. "Yeah, I'm okay."

They heard the screech of tires, and in moments, Sal and Geanetti were in front of them. "For fuck's sake," Geanetti spat. "Do either of you know how to answer a fuckin' phone?"

Olivia chuckled and rolled her eyes, still enveloped in Elliot's arms.

"Nice shot, _ceffo_," Sal said, looking down at Leo Denetto's body.

_"Grazie, pezzo," _Elliot replied, smirking as he still cupped Olivia's face, thanking God she was okay.

Sal looked at him. "You just called me a piece of shit," he said. "In Italian."

Elliot chuckled and finally turned. "Yeah, you got a problem with that, _cidrule_?" he asked, his arm around Olivia.

"Man, is my sister rubbing off on you, or what?" Sal asked, shaking his head. He looked at the kid, making sure he was okay, then guided him to Olivia, who knelt down with a small smile and introduced herself.

Geanetti helped Kathy up, as she'd been lying in shock, watching everything happen. He made sure she was okay, whispered something in her ear, and then walked over to Cragen. "You have some explainin' to do," he said, grabbing him by the arm.

"Look, I knew she'd get out of it," Cragen said. "She was never in any real danger. I would never put her in..."

"Not to me," Geanetti said, interrupting his babbling. He threw Cragen into Elliot's arms. "To them. And the rest of the squad." He heard sirens in the distance and smirked. "I know what story Kathy's tellin' 'em, and I know what story Olivia and Elliot are tellin' 'em. You really wanna try to get out of this one?" He nodded at Elliot. "Cuff 'em, kid," he said. He slapped his son on the back, kissed Olivia on the cheek, and sped away before the cops could arrive.

Cragen turned around and looked up, worried, at Elliot. "You wouldn't," he said. "You wouldn't do that to me, Elliot. We could always tell them we arrived together, that you shot..."

"Donald Cragen," Elliot said, taking his handcuffs off of his belt, "You are under arrest for conspiracy to commit kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, failing to report criminal communications, intimidating a victim or witness...you know what? You know what you did," he said, tightening the cuffs. "You have the right to remain..."

"I know my rights, Elliot," Cragen said with a sigh. He looked up into Olivia's eyes, and he saw the heartbreak that he caused. "I'm so sorry, Olivia," he said. "I really never believed you'd be hurt. You have to believe that."

Olivia blinked, trying not to cry, and saw Fin and Munch getting out of a squad car with several New Jersey officers. "They're waiting for you," she said, nodding toward them. The look of shock on their faces was frightening, and they took Cragen out of Elliot's hands.

"What the hell happened here?" Fin asked.

Before anyone could say anything, Kathy piped up. "That man," she said, pointing to Leo. "He was gonna kill me and that boy if Cragen didn't lead him to Olivia. They were tipped off, somehow, and Olivia and Elliot showed up to stop him, and Captain Cragen...he was in on it. He wanted him to kill Olivia, but Elliot shot him. He...he saved her life."

"Okay, uh, Kathy," Fin said, stepping forward, "I'll get you some coffee and take your statement down at the station because I have no idea what the fuck you just said." He wrapped a blanket around her and walked her toward another squad car.

Olivia gave little Arturo a nudge, and he ran, following Fin and Kathy.

"Are you two okay?" Munch called from the passenger seat of the car carrying Cragen.

"Yeah," Elliot called back with a nod. "We're okay." He and Olivia watched them drive away as the local medical examiner and a team of other officers surrounded the body. Elliot noticed Ed Tucker walking over. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked.

"You're Manhattan detectives, meaning you're my problem," Ed said. "I came down with Munch and Fin because somehow, I just knew you'd end up shooting off your mouth and your gun."

Elliot scoffed and held out his gun. "I know the drill," he said. "Fatal shooting. Seven days, right?"

"Not this time," Ed said. "Seems someone was standing by with a cell phone, recording everything. And it was anonymously sent to my phone. Odd. The video's enough to prove it was defense of a third party. Nothing else you could have done," he said, taking Elliot's gun. He replaced it with a new one and said, "This one doesn't jam up. You would have had a cleaner hit with this one."

Elliot looked at Ed with narrow eyes. "Uh, thank you?" he said, a question.

Ed cleared his throat and leaned in to him. "I work for you, remember?" he questioned. He straightened up and turned to the Jersey cops behind him, telling them everything was in order and there was no foul play.

Elliot looked over at Olivia and said, "Did that really just happen?"

Olivia bit her lip and nodded. "Yeah," she whispered. "It did." She shook her head and sighed, walking back toward the car.

"Liv," Elliot said, catching up to her. "Are you..."

"I'm fine," Olivia said, cutting him off. "I just wanna go home." She opened the car door, sat down in the passenger seat, and said, "Take me to the station, we'll tell them what happened, and then I wanna go back to New York. I wanna go home."

Elliot closed the door for her, then walked to the driver's side. He sighed as he got in, because he knew that when they talked to Munch and Fin, and implicated their captain in a Mafia bribe without mentioning the name Geanetti, they'd be even more wrapped up in the tangled web than they already were.

* * *

"So tired," Olivia mumbled, walking into Elliot's house. "You could have taken me home," she said.

Elliot kissed her forehead as he took off her jacket. "I did," he said.

Olivia yawned as she said, "I meant..."

"I know what you meant," Elliot interrupted. "I want you with me tonight. I almost lost you, Liv. If I had to shoot..."

Olivia stopped him. "That kicking the can thing? That was good," she said.

"I wasn't taking the shot with him pressing a gun to your head. I was not going to let him hurt you," he told her, looking into her eyes. "I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you."

Olivia dropped her forehead to his shoulder. "I know you won't," she whispered.

Elliot kissed the top of her head, then met her eyes as she looked up. They gazed at one another for a moment, then moved slowly together, until they met in a passionate, slow, loving kiss.

"Do you think we should tell them we're here?" Maureen asked her sister, Kathleen.

Kathleen shook her head. "You watched the news," she said. "I think they've been through enough tonight. And I think Dad's still angry. I don't want to get on his bad side right now."

"They are kind of cute," Maureen said, grinning.

Kathleen looked over and said, "_Sta zitto_, huh?"

"Don't tell me to shut up!" Maureen said, following her up the stairs.

Olivia and Elliot smirked as they kissed, listening to the girls bicker. "Your kids are picking up an awful lot of Italian," Olivia said against his lips.

Elliot chuckled. "What do you expect?" he asked, still kissing her. "We're part of your family now."

**A/N: When Olivia wakes up in the middle of the night, how will Elliot get her back to sleep? What happens to Cragen? And who takes over the unit in his absence? It isn't who you think!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: When Olivia wakes up in the middle of the night, how will Elliot get her back to sleep? What happens to Cragen? And who takes over the unit in his absence? It isn't who you think!**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

Olivia knew, when her head hit the pillow, that sleep was not an option. She waited until Elliot was asleep, gauging his level of unconsciousness by his deep, even breathing. She slipped out of the bed and walked out of the room, then looked around for a while. The house was quiet. Too quiet. And big, she decided. Too big. She ran a hand over the marble countertop in the kitchen as she cradled a cup of tea in her other. She left the room, flicking off the light, then walked out into the too-large living room. She looked around and sighed, then spotted the large picture-window to her left. She walked over and stared out, studying the view of Central Park. It looked so calm, peaceful from inside the walls of Elliot's new house. Olivia knew better. She knew that the streets below, and the serene looking park, were a breeding ground for corruption, crime, and death. The things that defined her life.

She raised the hot liquid to her lips, blowing gently before sipping, and she knew without looking that Elliot was behind her. She smirked and let her eyes close as he wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed the back of her head.

"What are you doing?" Elliot asked, whispering in her ear.

Olivia sighed and shook her head again. "Thinking," she whispered.

"What are you thinking about?" Elliot asked, brushing her hair to the side. He bent his head and kissed her neck softly, peppering her with kisses.

Olivia let out a soft moan. "Just...thinking," she mumbled.

"Olivia," Elliot said, kissing behind her ear. It was a warning, a plea for her to talk to him.

Olivia hummed, dropping her head forward against the glass of the window. "This," she said. "I was thinking about how we got here, El. My father and Cragen. He had a valid reason for what he did, El. He was our captain, our friend...more than that, and...oh, and you took that shot, El, and my heart stopped. You've never taken a shot like that before and..."

"Hey, hey," Elliot said, hushing her as he turned her around to face him. "I took the shot because I knew I wouldn't hit you. Yeah, your family is a little complicated, and what Cragen did...shit, no one knew he had a few mil in gambling debts, Liv. He had secrets, and he got in way over his head. That doesn't excuse what he did to you, what he tried to do to you. To us."

Olivia looked away from him, running her tongue over her lips, contemplating things. "Yeah," she said. "I know."

"You must have been thinking pretty damn hard if it woke you up," Elliot said, brushing her hair back.

Olivia scoffed. "I wasn't really asleep," she said. "Have you ever been too tired to sleep?"

Elliot nodded, taking the tea out of her hand. He put it on his coffee table, then took her hand and tugged her back toward the bedroom. "It's four in the morning," Elliot said. "You were lying there for two hours, wide awake, while I was sleeping. That's not fair."

"No," Olivia laughed. "It isn't. I should have woken your ass up," she teased.

"You should have," Elliot said, smirking at her. He closed the door behind them, then gestured to the bed. "After you," he said, raising an eyebrow.

Olivia rolled her eyes and laughed, then crawled into the bed.

Elliot climbed in after her and scooted close to her. He looked down at her, seriousness in his eyes, and he held her body close to his. "I love you," he told her.

"I love you, too," Olivia said back, her heart pounding. She looked into his eyes and knew, at that moment, that he meant it. He had always meant it. She saw something in his eyes that she'd seen every time he looked at her, but she had been ignoring it until now. She raised her head slightly to kiss him, and he gladly kissed her back.

Elliot brushed the back of his hand over her cheek, then turned it, gently cupping the side of her face as they kissed. He was surprised when he felt Olivia's hands on his back, moving around to the front of his waist, tugging at his sweatpants. He moaned into her mouth, wondering if this was really about to happen, and he shifted his weight, turning slightly.

Olivia turned onto her side, slipping her hands into his pants. She pushed the fabric down, moaning at the feel of his skin under her fingertips. She moaned his name softly as his hands traveled up her body, gripping the hem of her shirt. She pulled away from him and let him take off her top, then fully came to grips with what was about to pass between them. "El," she said. "This is gonna change…"

"Everything," Elliot finished. "That's the idea, Liv." He smiled at her, she smiled back, and he covered her body with his. He hands worked their way to her bottoms, sliding them down and tossing them off. He grazed her skin on his way back up to her waist, and kissed her deeply as he tugged off her panties. He stayed pressed against her, kissing her, as his fingers traced light circles on her thighs. He kissed her harder as his hand traveled north, his fingers running lightly over her folds, and he moaned loudly at the feeling of the slick, silky skin. He pulled away from her, letting his forehead drop to hers, and he gazed into her eyes, watching her as he slipped one finger inside of her.

Olivia's mouth dropped open and her head dropped back. Her back arched slightly and she let out a soft, "Elliot," as he pushed another finger into her and started moving them. "Oh, God," she groaned, her head rolling back up to look at him. She reached out a hand and gripped his shaft, stroking lightly in time with his thrusting fingers.

"You know," Elliot whispered, "I'm living out a fantasy right now."

Olivia, througha bitten lip, mumbled, "You and me both."

Elliot chuckled, thumbing lightly over her clit and making her yelp and seethe. "Years," he whispered. "Years of waiting, and wanting," he said, pressing his lips to her neck. He increased his speed, pressing harder with his thumb. "Cum for me, baby," he commanded gently, kissing and sucking on her pulse. "I need to watch you…"

Olivia's back arched again, she tightened around Elliot's fingers, and she came for him. "El," she cried, gripping him harder, stroking faster as she came.

"Fuck, Liv," Elliot cursed, his own release taking over, his head buried in the crook of Olivia's neck. "Jesus Christ," he grunted.

Olivia, still breathing heavily and trying to calm down, chudkled, then looked at Elliot.

Elliot smiled at her, and he too let out a small but surprised laugh. "Think you're tired enough to sleep now?" he asked, kissing her.

Olivia nodded as they kissed. Elliot pulled away to clean up, reaching for the box of tissues on his night table, and when he turned back to his lover, she was already asleep, smiling.

* * *

The next morning, after a hot shower and a family breakfast, Elliot and Olivia walked into their squadroom. Elliot yawned as he sat at his desk to turn on his computer. Once it booted up, he checked his email. It was mostly interoffice memos, reports from other precincts, and follow-ups from Melinda and Ryan in the lab. But he was alarmed to find an email from Olivia's father. He read it, then looked up at Olivia. "Liv," he said, gritting his teeth, "We have a problem."

Olivia popped her head up from her own computer screen. "What?" she asked.

"Your father, through whatever connections he has, recommended someone for Cragen's job," Elliot said, running a hand down his face.

"Oh," Olivia said, looking over to Fin. "About that, what happened with Cragen last night?"

Fin, yawning, said, "First off, I'm never drivin' outta Jersey at three in the damn mornin' again. We just got back about two hours ago."

Elliot smirked. He was awake two hours ago, too, but he was doing something so much better than driving home from Jersey. He loved every minute of it. "Yeah, tunnel traffic sucks," Elliot said, pretending to care.

"Anyway," Fin said, "He pled out. Six to ten, up for parole in four, and he's gonna be an informant for the FBI."

"What?" Olivia spat. If Cragen told the FBI anything about her father or the rest of her family, she was screwed. She'd lose everything.

"Yeah," Elliot said. "But, Liv, that's what I was trying to tell you. Your father…"

Before he could finish, the captain's door opened and a man in a suit stepped out, an angry look on his face. "Can we get to work, people?" he yelled. He threw a pink slip of paper at Fin. "You and Munch, Thirty-Ninth Street, dead hooker." He turned and tossed a piece of yellow paper onto Olivia's desk. "You and Stabler, Fifty-First Street, kid found his grandparents dead in the living room. They're naked and purple. Have fun." He turned around and headed back toward the office, but Olivia stopped him.

"Dean," Olivia said.

The man turned around and smirked. "Yeah, Olivia?"

"You're the new captain?" Olivia questioned.

Dean Porter, an FBI agent with whom Olivia had a history, nodded. "Is that gonna be a problem, Detective Benson?" he asked, a smug grin on his face.

"No," Olivia said, getting out of her seat. She realized what Elliot had been trying to tell her. Dean was here to prevent things from being traced to her and her family. Her father had connections in the FBI, and one of them was Dean. Suddenly, her relationship with him made much more sense. "Not at all," she said, looking at Elliot.

Elliot stood up, too, and grabbed his keys. "Guess you were right," he told her, resting a hand on the small of her back to lead her out of the bullpen. "He never really loved you."

"Just doing a favor for my father," Olivia said. "Thank God I was in love with someone else the whole time and didn't make any kind of effort with Porter," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"I wonder who that was," Elliot said with a smirk.

Olivia laughed as she got into the elevator. "You don't know him," she teased. The door slid closed, just as Elliot looked at her with a furrowed brow. She laughed, he chuckled, and suddenly their morning didn't seem so bad.

**A/N: Dean at the helm? Working with Geanetti? When Olivia and Elliot find out another one of her father's secrets, how will affect the family they've been trying to make for themselves? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Dean at the helm? Working with Geanetti? When Olivia and Elliot find out another one of her father's secrets, how will affect the family they've been trying to make for themselves?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

"Sorry," Olivia said as she finished typing. "What did you say?" she asked, looking up.

"I asked what you were doing tonight," Dean said, looking at her with slightly suspicious eyes.

Olivia narrowed her own eyes and said, "Finishing paperwork and closing this case." She got up to get a cup of coffee. "Why?" she asked.

"Thought I'd take you to dinner," Porter said, following her to the pot.

Olivia scoffed as she poured Munch's strong brew into her mug. "I don't think that'd be appropriate, Captain," she said, emphasizing the last word.

Dean cleared his throat as he walked closer to her and leaned in. "So you can't go out with your captain, but you can fuck your partner? That it?" he whispered, smirking.

Olivia twisted her jaw and narrowed her eyes, trying hard to keep the urge to punch him at bay. "Excuse me," she said, sidestepping him. "I have work to do," she spat.

Porter chuckled. "I have the power to give you the night off, Olivia," he said, loud enough to get Elliot's attention. "If I do that, then you can come to dinner with me."

Elliot and Olivia held each other's gaze for a moment, then Olivia turned to the temporary captain. "I'll pass," she said, resuming her typing. "Thanks anyway," she added, not looking at him.

Porter let out an irritated sigh, then walked over to her desk. "Bring Stabler with you for all I care, Benson. I have to talk to you," he said, his voice low and serious.

Olivia looked up at him and, just as low and just as serious, she asked, "What do you need to talk to me about that can't be discussed here, Porter?"

Porter leaned over, very close to her, so close Elliot was ready to grab him and throw him across the room. He licked his lips and said, "Your father."

Olivia stared at him for a moment, then pushed her chair back, hit the enter button, sending the document she'd been typing to the printer, and reached for her jacket. She looked at Elliot, pleading with her eyes.

Elliot sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah," he said, answering her silent question. He caught his jacket as Olivia threw it at him and he followed her and Porter out of the squadroom.

* * *

The café was dim, and almost empty. Olivia sat dangerously close to Elliot, her hand resting on his knee as the other twirled her spoon around in a cup of coffee. At this moment, she was sure Porter knew abouit them, so being discreet didn't matter. "Stop beating around the bush," she said to Dean, "And tell me what you have to tell me."

"More like ask," Porter said. He slid the sugar over to her.

Elliot raised an eyebrow at Porter, slid it back and grabbed two pink packages of sweetener out of the container. He ripped them open and shook them into Olivia's mug. He smirked proudly at Porter as Olivia stroked his leg, thanking him under the table. "She doesn't use sugar," he said with a shrug.

Porter rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said. "Olivia, I need you to tell me that you have no part in the dealings your father…"

"I don't," Olivia said firmly before Dean could finish. "I never have, I never will. I'm a cop, Dean. A damn good one, and I intend to stay that way."

Porter nodded as he sipped his coffee. "I know that, I just know that your father can be very, uh, persuasive."

"You would know," Elliot mumbled, bringing his coffee to his lips.

"What the fuck does that mean, Stabler?" Dean spat, tilting his head.

Elliot put his mug down and leaned forward. "It means that the only reason you were with Liv was because her father put you up to it! That's why you felt no guilt whatsoever when you hurt her," he snapped. "You weren't emotionally attached, so cheating on her, knowing she would never do it to you, it didn't bother you!"

Porter chuckled. "Is that what you think happened?" he asked. "Truth. Her father asked me to keep her safe, keep her out of the deal he was making with someone in the unit. Not Cragen, by the way. I did. I actually did have feelings for her, but I knew she would never feel the same way. She was already in love with you," he explained. "I eventually found someone who would love me, I just…probably should have broken up with her first, but her father needed me to stay in her life."

Elliot exhaled slowly as he moved to make room for his food. "Right," he said. "Why are you back in her life, then? She's got me now."

"I have to keep her out of certain things," Porter said. "There are certain cases that the two of you shouldn't get involved in, and there are certain things that your father needs to stay out of, Olivia. I'm here to keep your professional life, and his, separated."

"About fucking time," Olivia scoffed. "I could have used you a week ago," she said.

"I know that," Porter said. "That's why I'm here, now, to keep what happened from happening again. Your father is more powerful than you think."

Olivia furrowed her brow, unconsciously squeezing Elliot's leg. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Porter sighed, then looked at Elliot. "He's got his hands in some pretty deep shit, guys. Several of your open cases…if you ever caught the perp, it would be him. Or someone who works for him."

"So while you're trying to keep me out of those particular cases, you're also letting a rapist and a killer get away scott-free," Olivia accused.

"No, Olivia," Porter said. "I'm keeping you from having to arrest your father or brothers or someone else in your fucked up family, and I'm keeping your father's work with the FBI quiet to protect his reputation," he said.

"What?" Elliot asked, confused.

Porter sighed. "Geanetti is a very powerful, very dangerous man," he said. "The FBI got him, solid, last year. In exchange for letting him go, he agreed that any and all 'hits' on his behalf would be approved by…"

"My father is cleaning up your messes," Olivia interjected. "He's taking out dirty agents, informants who've misled you, and people you couldn't catch on your own. Is that it?" she asked, growing angry.

Porter sighed. "In a nutshell, yes," he said, squeezing the bridge of his nose. "That's why the two of you have to stay out of it. You're both already on the FBI's shit list for constantly stepping on our toes in cross-jurisdiction cases. You're so fucking adamant about seeing your cases through to the end, even when we say we don't need you or want you with us," he rambled. "So I need to keep you out of it so that the next order he gets…"

"Isn't for us," Elliot finished, leaning back in the booth.

Porter nodded.

Olivia looked up at him and said, "Well, we were having a pretty good day. Something had to fuck it up."

Elliot chuckled softly, kissed her forehead, and looked back at Porter. "You do your job, we'll do ours, and hopefully it'll all be okay."

"If it's not," Porter began, "I mean, if something does happen, you'll have to get him before he gets you."

Olivia and Elliot looked at each other. Something from deep within them told them that it was going to come to down to that sooner or later.

* * *

They got home a little after midnight. The car ride was silent, too silent. The house, they had gone to his tonight, was just as quiet. It was unsettling. "Kids asleep?" Olivia asked.

Elliot yawned as he grabbed a much needed beer out of his refrigerator. "Yeah," he said. "Probably. Want a drink?" he asked, calling to her from the kitchen.

"Just a bottle of water," Olivia said, stifling a yawn as she curled up on the couch under the fleece blanket that lived on the back of it. She picked up his remote, turned on the television and flipped through the channels, stopping at a movie she hated, the scene that always made her a little queasy.

"What are you watching?" Elliot asked, sitting next to her.

"Notting Hill," Olivia whispered. Her eyes were glued to the screen as she watched a teary-eyed Julia Roberts say something to an indifferent-looking Hugh Grant. She wasn't aware she was speaking softly, reciting the line with the woman on the screen. "I'm also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her," she whispered, her head dropping into her hands as she shook it and scoffed. "He says nothing, he just lets her walk away," she said, remembering why she hated the movie.

"Are you okay?" Elliot asked, brushing her hair back.

Olivia scoffed. "Yeah," she said, "I just...do you know how many times I had dreams just like that? Only you were Hugh Grant. I would tell you...no, I would ask you to love me, and you would get this look in your eyes, you would say nothing. I'd walk away, then I'd wake up. That's...that's why I never told you."

"So the fact that I was married had nothing to do with it?" Elliot asked with a small chuckle.

Olivia laughed. "That, too," she said. "But your reaction scared me more than dealing with Kathy."

Elliot cupped her chin between his thumb and forefinger, turning her head toward him. "Still scared?" he asked, leaning closer to her.

Olivia shook her head, catching her breath the way she always did before they kissed.

"So say it," Elliot said. "Ask me," he whispered, lightly brushing his lips over hers.

"Love me," Olivia whispered back. She brought a hand up to his shoulder and ran in lightly down his arm. "No matter what happens with my father, or Porter, or anything...just love me, El, and I'll be okay."

"You know I love you," Elliot said softly, nuzzling her nose. "Nothing's gonna change that. I love you," he repeated, letting his lips fall into hers.

Olivia moaned lightly as Elliot deepened the kiss, her hand moved from his arm to the back of his neck, the other wrapping around his back, pulling him closer. In moments, they wer sprawled on the couh, wrapped around heach other, kissing and caressing, loving each other.

Maureen, on the stairs, shook her head. "Wow. I'm glad to see being sex-crimes detectives hasn't affected your love lives. You look perfectly normal and healthy to me," she said with a chuckle and folded arms.

Olivia and Elliot pulled apart and sat up quickly, looking at the teen. "Shouldn't you be asleep?" Elliot asked, running two fingers down the corners of his lips.

Maureen laughed. "I needed a drink. How was work?" she asked.

Olivia sighed. "Fine," she said. She and Elliot had talked about how they would handle bringing their work home with them, and they decided to never do that. She didn't have to worry about shutting him out, since he had been there with her, and vice-versa. They never needed to talk about it, unless it was particularly rough, and they never mentioned anything to the kids.

"Oh," Maureen called, grabbing a bottle of water from the kitchen, "Liv, your dad called."

"Here?" Olivia asked, confused.

Maureen nodded as she brought the bottle to her lips and stepped into the living room again. "He said he knew you would be here and he told me to give you a message."

"What message?" Elliot questioned, leaning forward. "What did he say?" he asked, looking cautiously at Olivia.

Maureen was making her way back up the stairs. "He said we have to go to dinner Sunday, and then he said something about a guy named Ed being mad, and a game being on. He plans to help you win, or to win himself, or not play. I don't know," she said with a yawn. "I heard 'dinner' and stopped listening. Goodnight. Love you." She yawned again and walked toward her room.

Olivia looked at Elliot. "Game on," she said.

"He talked to Tucker," Elliot affirmed. He shook his head and sighed, getting off the couch. "Come on," he said, holding out his hand to Olivia. "We're gonna need a good night's sleep if we have to deal with Porter, Tucker, and your father in the morning."

Olivia took his hand and let him pull her up. "Yeah," she said with a yawn. Elliot led her to his bedroom, they changed, helping each other along, and they crawled into the bed under the covers. Elliot pulled Olivia close to him, dropped kisses down her neck and back, and whispered, "I love you."

Olivia smiled and sighed into him, snuggling close as he enveloped her. She let her eyes close and whispered, "I love you, too, El."

They were asleep in moments, oblivious to the man uptown, making a deal that would make their lives easier. Or, at least, he hoped it would.

**A/N: What did Geanetti really say to Maureen? Olivia goes for coffee with...Kathy? And what is Tucker mad about? And what happens when someone finds out Olivia's family secret? More? Review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: What did Geanetti really say to Maureen? Olivia goes for coffee with...Kathy? And what is Tucker mad about? And what happens when someone else finds out Olivia's family secret?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

"So why did you want to meet me here?" Olivia asked, twirling her coffee cup around in her hands.

Kathy, across from her, sighed. "You're dating him, aren't you?" she asked.

Olivia laughed. "Sorry," she said. "I don't mean to laugh at you, but dating…no…not what I would call it. We don't, um, date. No."

"You're fucking him, then," Kathy said, her eyes narrowing. She wasn't in the mood for games.

"Okay, wow," Olivia said, her eyes wide. "Wouldn't call it that either," she said, annoyed.

Kathy snapped, "What the hell would you call it then?" She looked around, hoping no one noticed. "Olivia, please," she hissed, leaning closer to her, "Tell me what's going on with you two, because if I agreed to make nice with you and let him walk away with the kids for nothing…"

"We're together," Olivia said. "As for what that means…I have no idea," she said with a shrug.

"What?" Kathy said, her brow furrowing. "How the hell do you not know what that means? Haven't you two been screwing…"

"No," Olivia interrupted. "Actually, we haven't. My father made you split up before…I wouldn't go near him if he…" she paused. "This is hard to talk about with you," she said with a sigh. "No, Elliot never cheated on you Kathy. That was all you."

Kathy ran a hand through her hair. "So, the whole time you were trying to save our marriage, you weren't just trying to cover up your affair?" she asked, horrified at her own behavior.

"What?" Olivia asked with narrow eyes. "Of course not! I was seriously trying to help keep your family together. He's my best friend, and you are...were...his wife. I was trying to keep him happy."

Kathy shook her head and sipped her coffee. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I get it," she said.

"Get what?" Olivia asked, sipping her own coffee.

Kathy tilted her head. "Why he fell in love with you. We weren't compatible anymore, and I think I had already let him go, pushed him away really, so he latched on to you, and you are so…" she pressed her lips together. "You're beyond nice, and you are very beautiful, and you give him what he needs."

"Headaches?" Olivia scoffed.

"Security," Kathy said. "With you, he knows you're always on his side. You'll always trust him, and you'll always be the one he can trust. We lost that a long time ago."

Olivia nodded. "Yeah," she said, "I will be." She cleared her throat, filling the now awkward silence, then sipped her coffee. "I should get back to work," she said with a small smile. "Thanks for the coffee," she added.

Kathy nodded, smiling up at Olivia. She watched the brunette leave, and then rose from her seat, dropping a twenty dollar bill on the table. She walked out, too, feeling better than she had in a while, lighter, as if she'd let something go. She had. Elliot.

* * *

Olivia walked back into the squadroom, feeling both confused and relieved. She sat at her desk, picking up the file off of Elliot's. She flipped it open and caught his stare. "What?" she asked, not looking at him.

"Where were you?" Elliot asked. "Tucker wanted to talk to both of us, more you than me, really, and you were nowhere…"

"I was with Kathy," Olivia said, cutting him off. She still didn't look up.

"You wanna run by that by me again?" Elliot asked, leaning forward.

Olivia flipped her page, reading the file more intently. "You heard me," she said. "Everything's fine, don't look at me like that."

"You aren't looking at me to see how I'm looking at you," Elliot said, his eyes still screwed up in confused astonishment.

"I know you," Olivia said, signing the last page under Elliot's signature. She dropped the file and her pen and asked, "What did Tucker want?"

Elliot picked up the file and put it in the "out" bin on his desk. "He wanted to warn us," he said. "Your father has his hands in something pretty big, and Tucker's a part of it, and if we want to keep our jobs, he said we need to stay out of it."

"If he wanted us to stay out of it, why did he tell us about it in the first place?" Olivia asked, tilting her head.

Elliot furrowed his brow. "I have no fucking idea," he said. "Probably because he knew…"

"If we knew, or if I knew, rather, that I would be nosy," Olivia said. "He knew I'd find a way to get involved," she told him. She got up and asked, "Wanna cup of coffee?"

"Uh, yeah," Elliot said.

Porter came out of the office. "Coffee's gonna have to wait," he said. "You guys got a vic, Forty-Fifth and Eighth. Meet Warner down there."

Olivia looked at him and said, "Aye, aye, Captain," and gave him a mock salute.

"Benson," Porter sighed. "Don't…I mean, just…you gotta work with me here."

"I have to work with you," Olivia said. "It doesn't mean I have to like you." She took the keys out of Elliot's hand and walked out of the squadroom doors, knowing he'd follow her.

* * *

"She doesn't look like a pro," Melinda said, shaking her head. She looked up at Olivia and said, "She doesn't even look old enough to be out of high school."

"So what was she doing dressed like that in this alley all by herself?" Olivia asked.

Melinda shrugged. "It's your job to find that out," she said. "All I can tell you is she died between four and six in the morning, and this was hanging out of her mouth when I got here," she explained, handing Olivia a small plastic bag.

Olivia held it up to the light, trying to see the gold charm through the plastic and the blood. "Oh, my God," she said, softly.

Melinda leaned into her and said, "If you take yours off now, I won't tell anyone you had it."

Olivia looked at Melinda, her eyes narrowing. "What are you talking…"

"I know," Melinda said. "I know what that is, Olivia. It's a family crest. You've got one around your neck. Now I don't know if you are related to this girl or her killer, but I assume your family has something to do with _why_ she's dead. Now, if you wanna keep working this case, give me your necklace and shut up about it."

Olivia said nothing. She looked around, swallowing hard, and slipped the gold chain off of her neck, leaving only the sliver one Elliot had given her. She toyed with the square pendant still around her neck as she dropped the golden circle into Melinda's hand.

"When this blows over," Melinda said, "And you figure this all out, I will give it back to you. I just…don't want you to get caught up in this shit, Olivia. You can not go down for your family."

"How did you even know about my family?" Olivia asked, squinting a bit.

Melinda sighed. "You find out a lot of dirty, little secrets in the business of death," she said.

"He got to you, too, didn't he?" Olivia asked, shaking her head.

"Not like that," Melinda said, her eyes widening in realization at Olivia's suggestive tone. "He just…asked me for a favor, before I knew who he was, and before I could refuse, he told me. He used it…"

"He used me to get you to do whatever it was he needed done," Olivia said, closing her eyes and sighing. "You can, uh, you can keep that," she said, nodding toward the necklace. "Thanks, Mel," she said, resting a hand on her shoulder.

Melinda smiled and nodded, slipping Olivia's necklace into the evidence bag with the matching bracelet. "What are friends for?" she asked, kneeling back beside the body.

Olivia smiled, walking toward Elliot. "We have a problem," she said, tugging on his sleeve, getting him to follow her back to the car.

"What?" Elliot asked, furrowing his brow. "And have I told you how hot you look in that outfit?" he asked, smirking.

"Really?" Olivia asked, looking down at her clothes. She shook her head, getting back to the point. "My father's playing games," she said.

"Is that supposed to surprise me?" Elliot asked, folding his arms.

Olivia took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She let her eyes meet his as she said, "He's playing games with me."

"What are you talking about, Liv?" Elliot asked, lowering his voice.

Olivia leaned closer to him, breathing deeply. She inhaled his scent and her eyes fluttered shut. He smelled so good. She shook her head, shaking away the arousal, and said, "He wants me to choose, El. He's planting damaging evidence on vics, he's got an in with our new boss and he's got a hold on Tucker. He's pushing every button he can to make this job harder for me to keep."

Elliot shook his head. "Liv, if he wanted you to leave the unit, why was he so adamant about us getting together?" he asked, confused. "He knows you would never leave me like that."

"Right," Olivia said. "He knew I would never leave you, if you were just my partner," she told him. "If that was the only way i could have you. Now that I don't need to be at work to be with you…"

"Shit," Elliot interrupted. "The house, the invitation into the family, the whole thing…he's been…"

"Buying us off," Olivia said, shaking her head. "He wants me to work for him," she said, biting her lip. "El, I can't say no to my father."

Elliot looked her dead in the eyes. "You sure as fuck can't say yes," he said. "You are a cop, Benson. A fucking great cop. So why don't you do what you do best and put the bad guys away?"

Olivia took in a sharp breath. "I can't arrest my…"

"No," Elliot interrupted, holding up a finger. "But you can arrest his minions, can't you? What did Maureen say he said? Game on?"

Olivia nodded. "Guess this is what he meant," she said.

Elliot, looking around, kissed her tenderly, and said, "If he wants to play, then we'll play. And baby? I play to win."

**A/N: Sunday dinner! Next! Is it awkward now that they've figured out what Geanetti is up to? Maybe, maybe not. The conversation gets heated, as does a moment in the bathroom. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Sunday dinner! Next! Is it awkward now that they've figured out what Geanetti is up to? Maybe, maybe not. The conversation gets heated, as does a moment in the bathroom.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

"Nacho cheese," Dickie said, scooping some rigatoni into his mouth.

Geanetti, and the rest of Olivia's family, laughed at his joke. "That was pretty good kid," Geanetti said, scruffing up his hair. "You should do stand-up comedy," he said, nudging the boy.

"Oh, please. Don't encourage him," Olivia said, rolling her eyes.

Elliot chuckled, sipping his wine. "Besides," he said, "He got that from a commercial."

Geanetti eyed his daughter and Elliot suspiciously and said, "You two okay? You seem a little, uh, _irritata_."

Olivia smirked. "I'm not annoyed," she said. She looked at Elliot. "Something annoying you, honey?" she asked.

"Why would anyone in your family annoy me?" Elliot asked, smirking back at her. He leaned in and kissed her lips sweetly, nuzzled her nose, and sipped his wine again.

The kids looked at them, puzzled. Olivia's aunts and uncles looked on with smiling faces, and her brothers were grinning like baboons.

"Hey, _idiota,_" Vinnie said cheerily. "_Siete fottutamente mia Bella_?"

Olivia turned and glared at her brother. "Vin," she snapped. "Not in front of the kids, and not at the dinner table, would ya?"

"What did he ask me?" Elliot whispered to her.

Olivia just rolled her eyes and sipped her wine. "Nothing," she said.

"I asked you if you were fucking my sister yet," Vinnie said, still grinning stupidly at Elliot.

Silence took over the table. Olivia sunk back in her chair, looking pissed. Geanetti's mouth hung open and the only sound heard was the clang of Maureen's spoon dropping into the empty bowl in front of her.

Elliot smirked, looked at Vinnie, and for the sake of his children and the rest of the people at the table, he kept his cool. He leaned over and very quietly whispered, "_Vaffanculo, _Vinnie."

"Enough," Geanetti said, pulling his son back into his seat. "Vincenzo, what the hell is your problem?"

Vinnie turned to his father, confused. "You said we had to..."

"_Sta zitto_," Geanetti said quickly. "I don't wanna hear you talkin' to either of them like that again, ya get me?"

Vinnie, still confused, said, "You can't have it both ways, Dad! Either she's your favorite kid or you want her out of..."

Geanetti interrupted him again. "Ay, _cafone_! Enough, huh?"

Vinnie backed up into his seat. "Yeah. Okay." He nodded an apology at Elliot, then watched as Olivia stared at him, coldly.

Olivia moved her eyes slowly to her father, understanding what was happening. She pushed her chair back and threw her napkin on the table. "Excuse me," she said, rising from her chair and bolting from the room.

Elliot got up and followed her, letting his napkin drop from his lap to the floor, ignoring Rolf as the butler moved to pick it up. The room was still shocked into silence. Dickie looked around nervously and scratched his head. He smirked, like his father, and asked, "So who wants to hear another joke?"

* * *

Elliot walked out into the grandiose hallway and stood outside the bathroom door. He tapped lightly on the marble and oak with two knuckles, sighing. "Liv?" he called softly.

"Christ," Olivia spat. "Can't a girl pee in peace?" she asked, snippy.

"If you were peeing, yes," Elliot chuckled. "Baby, open the door," he said.

Olivia sighed, then turned the knob, making no move to get off of the edge of the tub where she'd been sitting, trying to catch her breath. "What?" she asked.

Elliot looked at her, sat on the closed the toilet, and took her hand. "What?" he repeated. "You know Vinnie is an ass," he said. "What he said...he was just trying to get me..."

"He was trying to provoke you," Olivia said. "He wanted you to hit him, get angry and yell, be your charming self. He wanted you to..."

"He was trying to get your dad to throw me out?" Elliot asked, getting it. "Is that what you think?" he asked, looking down at her.

Olivia nodded. "You saw the way my father's been looking at us," she told him. "Shit, even your kids have been giving us odd looks because we've been playing up the fact that we're this happy, cutesy couple, trying to rub my father's nose in it."

Elliot pulled Olivia off of the tub and onto his lap. "Who was playing?" he asked with a smirk. "This has been one of the best family dinners, no, one of the best afternoon's ever, and it's because we weren't trying to hide anything. Being so open with you in there, it felt right, baby." He kissed a soft spot behind her ear as he brushed her hair out of his way. "I'm not gonna do anything to disrespect your family, your father especially, but I have no qualms about punching the shit out of your brother if I ever get him alone."

Olivia chuckled. "I love you for that, you know," she said. "The Elliot Stabler I know would have pounced on Vinnie in a heartbeat."

"Is that the only reason you love me?" Elliot asked, pulling back from her a bit to look her in the eyes.

Olivia furrowed her brow. "What? No!" she said, surprised. "El, I love you because...of everything you are. Everything you do. The things you make me think, and do, and feel."

"What did Kathy want?" Elliot asked, tilting his head, changing the topic suddenly.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "This again?" she asked, irritated.

"You haven't told me yet. I keep asking and you keep blowing me off. What did she say to you?" he asked, running his fingers through her hair, dropping a light kiss to her neck.

"She wanted to know if we were sleeping together when you were married," Olivia said, her eyes drifting shut as Elliot found a delicate spot on her neck.

Elliot hummed against her skin. "And you said?" he asked, breaking contact with her neck only for a moment.

"The truth," Olivia said. "I told her nothing happened until it was over between you two, and then she told me...she understood why you loved me."

Elliot's head popped up. "What?" he asked.

Olivia looked into his eyes. "She told me she got it, that I was...she told me I give you security, and you need me, and she got it."

Elliot nodded. "She's right," he said. "You do give me security, baby. You give me everything I need." He dropped his head again, kissing lightly behind her ear. "You give me everything I want," he said as he kissed her skin.

Olivia's fingers dug into his thighs as she tried to stay situated on his lap. She moaned softly as Elliot's mouth dropped kisses across her neck. "What are you doing?" she asked, a whisper, as her eyes fluttered shut.

Elliot chuckled again and whispered, "Lock the door."

Olivia, not asking questions, reached out a hand and turned the lock in the knob. "What are you doing?" she asked again, feeling him slide his hands down her body, unzipping her dress.

"Fucking Vinnie's sister," Elliot joked. He turned her slightly and peeled the purple material off of her shoulders, then dropped his mouth to her collarbone, kissing over the perfect, round, tops of her breasts.

"El," Olivia gasped, "What are you..."

Elliot slid the dress further off of her. "What," he interrupted. "Just because we're in your father's bathroom, you don't think I can make this romantic?" he asked, his voice low. He leaned into her as he dropped the dress to the floor. "Baby," he whispered, "I can make love to you anywhere, anytime, and make it special."

Olivia looked into his eyes as her hands cupped his face. "With you," she whispered, "It's always special."

"Damn right," Elliot growled, watching Olivia leaning back, lifting her legs over his. His eyes twinkled, and his hands roamed her body. He wasn't worried about her father, or her brothers. He would face anything if it meant he got to keep her.

Their frolic was interrupted when they head soft talking through the walls. Elliot moved backward and held up a hand, signaling Olivia to stay quiet.

"What?" she whispered.

Elliot leaned closer to the wall and his eyes widened. "He's trying to get you to choose," he said, turning toward Olivia. "You were right. But it's not because he hates you." He turned back to the wall and listened. "He's trying to protect you," he said. He leaned over and grabbed her dress, handing it to her. He kissed her deeply, passionately, then said, "We'll finish this later. I have a phone call to make." He rose and walked out of the bathroom, leaving Olivia confused, and trying to listen to the conversation going on in her father's study.

After settling back into the dining room, Olivia watched as Rolf brought in a very large chocolate cake. "Thanks, Ralph," she said, smirking at the aging help.

"Madam Olivia, I really..."

"I know," Olivia said, cutting him off. "But it's so much fun," she shrugged. "Oh, Dickie, honey, get your elbows off the table. Just because your father isn't here doesn't mean I'm gonna let you become an ill-mannered..."

Lizzie interjected. "Where is Daddy, now that you mention it?" she asked.

Olivia looked at the blonde. "He said he had to make a phone call," she told her.

Sal looked at his sister and said, "Bella, he took off a couple minutes ago. Somethin' about needing an answer, and he'd be right back."

Olivia shot a glare at Vinnie. "What did you say to him?" she asked.

"Nothing!" Vinnie defended. "I didn't even notice he was gone, to be honest with ya!"

Geanetti sighed. He dropped his eyes away from Olivia and ran a hand down his face. "I know where he went," he said. He got up, looked at Olivia and said, "You and the kids should come with me."

**A/N: Where did Elliot go? What is the story with Geanetti? When and where do they finish what they started in the bathroom? Review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Where did Elliot go? What is the story with Geanetti? Do they get to finish what they started in the bathroom?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

"I'm not gonna ask you again," Elliot said, pressing Tucker further into the wall.

Tucker made a harsh, choking sound, and he tried to break free. "Stabler, you fuck," he breathed. "Let me go, damn it," he choked out.

"Not until you tell me," Elliot demanded.

Tucker took in another harsh, uneasy breath, then he said, "Over my dead body," he wheezed.

"Have it your way," Elliot growled, slamming Tucker into the wall again.

"That won't be necessary," Geanetti's voice said from behind them.

Elliot dropped Tucker, backed away and turned around. "How did you…"

"You forgot who I was for a second," Geanetti said, chuckling. "Help him up, huh?" he said, pointing to Tucker.

Elliot furrowed his brow and knelt, bending low to pick up Tucker. "Where's Liv?" he asked, grunting as he brought Tucker to his feet.

"In the car with the kids," Geanetti said. "I knew you'd probably be beating the shit outta him. They didn't need to see that. How did you know this had to do with…"

"I'm not an idiot," Elliot spat. "You can get to him personally, but he still has the power to fuck with our jobs. Sticking Porter up our asses sent up a red flag, and I knew something was wrong when he didn't fight for Liv. He was there to stop Tucker from screwing with us, not you. What's going on, Geanetti?" he asked, running a hand down his face.

Geanetti looked at Tucker and shook his head. "What did you do to him?" he asked.

"What I had to," Elliot said. "You gonna answer me?"

"You really love her, don't you?" Geanetti asked, stepping closer, looking Elliot in the eyes.

Elliot rolled his eyes. "Are you just gonna ignore my question?" he asked, sounding frustrated.

"Yes," Geanetti said, pulling Tucker away from Elliot. "Answer mine. Maybe I'll answer yours."

Elliot looked the man square in the eyes, holding firm. "Yes," he said. "More than anything. It was my job to protect her long before it was yours, and I'll be damned if I'm…"

"Elliot," Geanetti interrupted, "It took a lot of balls to come here. You didn't know what he'd do."

"I don't really give a shit," Elliot said. "He's got something on you, on Liv," he yelled. "I'm not gonna let him…"

"Neither was I," Geanetti said. "I was handling it, kid. You should have stayed out of it. How did you even know who I was talking about?"

Elliot sighed. "You have very thin walls, and I'm a pretty clever guy."

"It would have been easier if you would have just walked away," Geanetti sighed.

"No way," Elliot said, shaking his head. "You know how long she spent looking for you? You want her to just walk away?"

"It would be safer for her if…"

"She's never done anything safe!" Elliot yelled. "Her childhood wasn't safe! Her job isn't safe! Being with me isn't safe! Do you see her fucking giving any of that up?"

Geanetti tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "How is being with you not…oh, right…the job thing."

"Not just…shit," Elliot scoffed. "Forget it. You got Tucker. He's alive. Just tell me what he's planning so I can fucking avoid it and get my family out of here."

Geanetti dropped Tucker, who was still out of it, and folded his arms. "Not just your job? You planning on hurting my little connoli?"

"God, no," Elliot grumbled. "Could you just…"

"Elliot," Geanetti warned.

Elliot threw up his hands and spat, "Fine! She's gonna take off eventually! Okay? She has this thing with commitment, and with me, and I'm scaring the shit out of her! This isn't what she's used to, and I'm gonna wake up one day to find her gone! I know that! But here am, doing everything I can to hold on to what I've got while I've got it! Because…"

Geanetti held up a hand. "Elliot, stop," he ordered. "She gets it from me. The running. The pushing people away, it's an inherited habit, I guess. I promise you, she's done running. That's what Ed had on her. He was planning on writing you up for indecency at work, and he was gonna slip in a mafia connection, link her to missing evidence and witness tampering. He was getting even with me, using her to do it. That's why…"

"You wanted us gone so no one could connect her to you," Elliot finished. "You could have told her, ya know. She would have stayed away if she knew why."

"You think so?" Geanetti asked with a smirk.

Elliot smirked back. "No, not really," he said.

Geanetti handed Elliot the keys to his car. "Go," he said. "I'll clean this up. Take your family home, and don't say anything about this to my daughter."

Elliot nodded as he turned, but he looked back. "How do you know she's…"

"She's been waitin' for you for a long time," Geanetti interrupted. "A Geanetti doesn't run when they finally get what they want."

Elliot tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "But she's a Benson," he said, testing him.

"Trust me," Geanetti said. "The only thing she got from her mother was a bucket of lies and a life she didn't deserve. She's all Geanetti."

Elliot smiled at him, nodded, and turned, walking out of the building and toward the car. He got into the driver's side, avoiding Olivia's questioning glances. He drove them home in silence, and was glad they all knew by now not to ask what happened.

* * *

After each kid showered and changed, they kissed Elliot and Olivia good night and headed into their rooms. Olivia was curled up on the couch with a cup of coffee and a book, eyeing Elliot suspiciously.

Elliot, feeling her staring, cleared his throat as he flipped through channels on television. "Stop that," he told her without looking at her.

"Tell me," she demanded.

Elliot shrugged. "Nothing to tell," he said. "Tucker was gonna pull something, I got to him before he could because your father was going about it the wrong way," he explained. "Some things just need to be handled with good old fashioned…"

"Ass kicking?" Olivia chuckled, sipping her coffee.

Elliot chuckled and scooted closer to her. He wrapped her in his arms, tugged the coffee out of her hands, and pulled her down on top of him as he flattened out on the couch. "I did what I had to do to keep you…"

"You don't have to do that," Olivia interrupted. "Between you and my father, and my two insane brothers, I feel like Princess Toadstool."

"No, you're definitely Princess Peach," Elliot joked. "And I'm not that Italian so I can't be Mario, or Luigi. So what does that make me?"

"Yoshi," Olivia said, kissing him. "He was always my favorite character," she told him, kissing him again.

"The dinosaur that doesn't talk?" Elliot scoffed, insulted.

Olivia chuckled as she kissed him. "Cute, sweet, funny," she listed. "And he had the princess wrapped around his little finger."

"Oh, yeah," Elliot said. "I can be that guy," he mumbled, kissing her. His fingers tangled in her hair and he whispered, "But I'm still gonna protect you, baby. That's my job. I need to know you're safe, and happy, and…"

"I am," Olivia interrupted again, leaning up on her elbows. "I am safe and happy, with you. I need you to be with me, El. You gotta be here, with me, to watch my back. Not running off chasing after people when we aren't even sure they're after us yet."

Elliot took a deep breath and nodded. Then he looked into her eyes. "Are you really happy?" he asked.

"Yes," Olivia answered, quickly and honestly with a nod. "Very," she added.

Elliot held her tightly and looked into her eyes, his own blue orbs filling with desperation. "You're not…you're not, um…"

"I'm not…what are you trying to ask me?" she asked, her brows scrunching slightly.

"Don't leave me," he whispered softly, barely a whisper. He closed his eyes as the words left his mouth. He sounded pitiful.

Olivia felt her heart stop, she looked down at him, she did the only thing she could do. She pressed her lips to his softly and whispered, "Never."

Elliot opened his eyes. He saw hers, serious and dark, staring down into them. "You mean that," he whispered.

"Why would I leave you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Elliot shrugged. "You just…you always leave," he said with a sigh. "I just thought…"

"Shut up," Olivia said, pressing her lips to his again.

Elliot relaxed into the kissed, wrapping his arms around her. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"I'm not going anywhere," she promised, feeling his hands slide up her shirt. "Never give me a reason to," she warned, biting his lip.

Elliot chuckled, biting her back. "Promise," he whispered. He moved one hand around to the front of her waist, trying to finish what he started in the bathroom, when there was a loud knock on his door. He groaned and said, "Jesus, are we ever gonna…"

"I'll get it," Olivia mumbled, kissing him as she pushed off of him.

Elliot got up, too, following her to the door. He stood beside her as she opened it and they both were surprised to see Dean Porter, his badge up and a serious look on his face. "Olivia," he said, "Elliot. We need to talk."

"What's this about, Porter?" Eliot asked, clutching onto Olivia's waist.

Porter sighed and looked at Elliot as he said, "Tucker's dead."

**A/N: Say what? Did Geanetti kill him or was it someone else entirely? And an old face comes back to the One-Six! But who? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Say what? Did Geanetti kill him? And an old face comes back to the One-Six! But who?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

"I'm telling you, he was alive when I left!" Elliot yelled, gesturing madly with his hands. This was the fourth time he had told Porter, and the fourth time he wasn't believed.

"Can anyone verify that?" Porter asked, tilting his head.

Elliot sighed, running a hand down his face. "Liv's father," he said, tossing a hand in the air. "You just said you can't fucking find him, so…"

Porter took a step. "I can't arrest you in your own house," he said, taking his cuffs out.

"Dean!" Olivia yelled, standing. "You know he didn't do this!"

Dean smirked, turning to her. "I don't know he didn't though," he said with a shrug. "There's no one to…"

"You son of a bitch," Olivia spat. She took a step toward him and asked, "This is what you've been waiting for, isn't it?"

"Maybe," Dean nodded. "I knew eventually your father would screw up and get Elliot into a shitload of trouble. See, the only prints at the scene, other than Tucker's, are Elliot's. Blood evidence, too." He turned to Elliot and asked, "How'd you get that cut above your eye?"

"You already know, don't you?" Elliot asked, sounding snippy.

Dean sighed. "Yeah," he said. "I do. And there's nothing I can do, Elliot. I have to follow the evidence, and right now, it all points to…"

"I can prove it," Elliot said, his head snapping up.

Dean's face fell as Olivia's lit up. She ran back over to the couch and sat beside him, wonderment in her eyes. "How?" she asked, hopeful.

"Well, see, this incredible detective, brilliant, amazing woman," he paused to look at her as he dug his cell phone out of his pocket, "Told me never to take chances. I got it all on tape. Well, phone." He hit a few buttons, and a very muffled, broken conversation could be heard.

_"That's what Ed had on her…for indecency at work, and he was … mafia connection… missing evidence … tampering. He was getting even with me, using her to do it. That's why…" _Genetti's voice was garbled, but it was obvious it was him.

Tucker was heard groaning in pain in the background and coughing. Clearly alive.

_"You wanted us gone… you," Elliot finished. "You could …if she knew why." _There was a lot of static, but the conversation was definitely audible.

_"You think so?" Geanetti asked._

_"No, not really," Elliot said._

_"Go," Genetti said. "I'll clean this up. Take your family home, and don't say anything about this to my daughter."_

Elliot pushed stop on his phone's media player, and he looked up. "I left," he said. "You heard it, Porter. Geanetti told me to leave, he said he would take care of Tucker, and I left."

Dean shook his head and put his hands on his hips. "God damn it," he mumbled. "Wonderful, so you took your partner's advice and recorded your conversation with Geanetti."

"Actually," Elliot said, holding up his phone, "I recorded my fight with Tucker. But, yeah, I got Geanetti, too. I didn't stop it until I got into the car."

"So you have your whole alibi…shit," Dean hissed, running a hand through his hair. "This was supposed to be so fucking easy."

"What was," Olivia said, slipping a hand behind her back.

Dean chuckled. "Do you know anyone name Lou DiPaulo?" he asked, sliding his gun out of his holster.

Olivia was faster, drawing the gun that Elliot kept hidden under his couch cushion and aiming it at Dean. "No," she said, cocking the trigger, "Should I?"

Dean's eyes went wide, and he shook his head. "This really isn't my day, is it?" he asked, taking a step backward.

"Elliot?" Olivia questioned, rising off the couch, her gun still aimed.

"I got it," Elliot said with a nod. He stood and took the handcuffs out of Dean's right hand, and then used them to cuff the man. "Dean Porter," he said. "You are under arrest for conspiracy to commit a criminal act, obstruction, and attempting to falsely arrest a police officer."

"That's not a real crime," Porter spat.

Elliot chuckled, tightening the cuffs. "You don't have any proof I just said that," he hissed into his ear. He led him out of the house, leaving Olivia to calm down, and to wonder where her father was, and who Lou DiPaulo was.

* * *

Munch slapped a file on Olivia's desk, snapping her out of her thoughts and breaking her stare away from the blank computer screen. "What's this?" she asked, yawning.

"Lou DiPaulo," Munch said, folding his arms. "He owns almost every high-rise apartment building in this city, and he's been after some of your father's properties for years."

Olivia rubbed her eyes. "What are you talking about, Munch?" she asked, trying to get out of this, trying to brush it off. How the hell did he know?"

"Olivia," Munch said. "I'm the King of Conspiracies. Cragen gets pinched for gambling debts, involving you and Sal Geanetti. Porter shows up to take his place, and then suddenly he's in the clink for trying to pin a murder on Elliot. This sinks of "Mafia" and you are the only around here that's involved in it all. I did a little digging. I know," he explained.

Olivia looked up at him, tired eyes blinking and no smile, and said, "All right. So you know."

"Yeah," Munch sighed. "Apparently, Lou DiPaulo put a hit out on you, and Porter was trying to…"

Elliot interrupted, hearing them. "Hold on," he said, leaning over his desk. "Porter was trying to nail me for murder so he could get to Olivia…because this Lou guy wanted her dead?" He rubbed his hand over his scruffy chin and said, "Not what I thought he was doing it for. At all."

Munch chuckled. "Well, any man, myself included, would kill for that, too," he said. "But Porter was probably after the five million dollars."

"Five million…I'm worth that much to this guy?" Olivia asked, her eyes wide.

"Five million if you were brought to him alive," Munch said. "He was gonna hold you hostage until Geanetti handed over everything he owned from Park Ave to Washington Heights."

Olivia looked down at the file. "Porter told you all of that?" she asked.

"Well, no," Munch said, making a face. "It's not a Special Victim's Case. I found out form the man who did interrogate him. He wasn't supposed to tell me, but he knew who you were, so…"

Olivia scoffed as she opened the file. "Everybody knows now," she said.

"And everyone expects that you have nothing to do with him or his business," a voice from the doorway said.

All three heads turned and Olivia gasped. "How…how did…how are you…"

The man walked into the room and shook his head. "I was working on a case, Olivia," he said. "You were never in any real danger. I was never going to let him hurt you, you have to believe that. I couldn't tell you that because…"

"Save it, Cragen," Elliot spat, interrupting him. "You could have told me. I don't wanna know why you're here, or how. I don't want to have anything to do with you after what you did. I don't think she does, either."

Munch looked up at Cragen and asked, "Are you back?"

"I'm back," he said. "As long as we cooperate with the Organized Crime Unit, no one is gonna be in any danger here." He looked at Olivia and said, "You have to make a choice, Benson. Stop protecting your father and your brothers, do your job, live your life without looking over your shoulder afraid of who might be coming after you because of who you are. Or you can keep his secrets, keep letting them get away with things that get you and Elliot, and his children, into trouble. Decide, now."

Cragen took two slow steps over to her and held out his hand. "If you pick your family, you give me your shield. You can't work here and be involved with Geanetti. You can't be on both sides of the line, Olivia."

Olivia felt tears welling up in her eyes. "But he's my father," she said softly, her voice cracking. She ran her hands through her hair, sniffling once, and looked across her desk at Elliot.

"Whatever you decide," Elliot told her, "I'm with you. You know that."

Olivia made her decision then, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You are, aren't you?" she asked quietly. He really was the only person in her life who had supported her in every decision she made. As much as it pained her to do it, she reached into her pocket and pulled something out, slapping it into Cragen's hand.

"Olivia," Cragen said, a question in his voice, "What is this?"

"My father gave that to me," she said. "If I ever really needed him, I'm supposed to call him from that phone, let it ring twice, and hang up. That's how we're gonna find him."

Cragen handed the phone back to her, nodding once. "You sure?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Olivia took the phone and got out of her chair, looking at Elliot. Still holding his gaze she said, "I have my own family to think about now."

Elliot smiled at her, then led her out of the squad room. They were either going to cut ties with her father, or find out they were bound to him for life. But they were going to find out together.

**A/N: Next: Geanetti meets them in a secluded spot, they finally get some alone time, and Cragen gives Olivia a shock. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Geanetti meets them in a secluded spot, and they finally get some alone time.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story, dialogue, narrative and plot belong to TStabler©**

"Poppet," they heard as they walked further onto the bridge. They turned and saw Geanetti, in a suit, smoking.

"Dad," Olivia said, guilt and sadness in her voice. Was she really setting up her own father?

Geanetti walked over and looked at her. "You needed me? Why? What happened?"

"DiPaulo," Elliot said. "He had a price on Liv, wanted someone to kidnap her and take her to him. I was almost arrested for Tucker's murder, by the way, so thanks for making sure I couldn't be implicated before you took off." He folded his arms, around Olivia, and waited.

Geanetti's eyes widened. "Someone's out for you? DePaulo, why?" he asked, irritated.

"Sure, ignore my little problem," Elliot said as he rolled his eyes.

Olivia gave him a shot with her elbow and rolled her eyes. "Dad," she said, looking at Geanetti, "He wants some kind of propertied or something, thinks you'll give it to him if he's got me."

"I would," Geanetti said, nodding. "I'm actually, uh, glad you called me, poppet."

"They want you, Dad," she said, sadness taking over in her eyes. "They think you killed Tucker, and they want you. They...want me to bring you in."

Geanetti nodded. "I know they do, but I didn't kill him. You gotta believe me."

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "All right, say you didn't," he said, squeezing Olivia tighter. "Tell us who did?"

Geanetti sighed and took a step toward them, feeling slightly hurt when Elliot backed Olivia up. He stopped where he was, understanding their fear, and said, "That good for nothin' Porter."

Elliot looked confused. "But he's the one who tried to..."

"He followed you," Geanetti said, looking around at the passing cars. "He was waiting outside the house, he followed you to the warehouse, he didn't expect me to show up," he explained. "I've been out all night findin' out who put him up to it, and it wasn't DiPaulo. Not directly. It was Tucker."

Olivia squinted. "They were working together," she said, fitting it together. "They were gonna split the money, but Dean got greedy because to him, it was personal."

Geanetti nodded once.

Elliot felt his left eye twitch. He was going to make sure Dean got what was coming to him, and Geanetti was gonna help him. He hoped, anyway. "Would you be willing to come down and..."

"I will do whatever you need me to do," Geanetti said. "But I gotta be out in time to get DiPaulo."

Elliot shook his head. "I don't think that's gonna..."

"He's after her, Elliot," Geanetti interrupted, "And whether I'm around or not, he will find a way to get her. I gotta get to him before he gets to her."

"I'm not gonna let anything happen to her," Elliot said, his voice authoritative. "Come back with us, tell the Captain what you know, they'll get DiPaulo. You don't..."

"You don't know how things work, Elliot," Geanetti said. He took a step back and shook his head. "I gotta take care of this myself. The cops can't handle this, and if they know what's good for them, they'll stay out of it. That goes for you two, too."

"Dad!" Olivia yelled, "You have to trust me!"

"Poppet," Geanetti said, giving her a small smile, "How can I trust you if you don't trust me?" he asked, nodding once again. He walked away shouting over his shoulder, "When I get done with DiPaulo, I'll be at your station. I promise." He turned away saying, "Don't follow me."

Elliot and Olivia watched him walk across the bridge, neither one stopping him, neither one really wanting to, either. "Well, that was...your dad."

"Yep," Olivia said, leaning back into his arms.

Elliot moaned a bit as he bent his head forward and kissed her neck. "We could always tell Cragen he didn't show up."

"I'm not gonna lie for him anymore," Olivia said, shaking her head. "Let's just go back, tell them the truth. He'll come down later. I believe him."

Elliot spun her around in his arms and kissed her sweetly. "Okay," he said, draping an arm over her shoulders and pulling her back the way they'd come.

* * *

"Where is he?" Olivia asked, several hours later, from her desk. She looked around and noticed the entire core unit was gone, leaving the second-rate detectives and some uniformed officers littering the room.

Elliot, pouring another cup of coffee, shrugged. He looked around, then, too, and realized the same thing. They were alone, for the most part. He could drop the formalities. "I don't know, baby," he said, walking back over to her. "Look, the waiting is killing you, we're not working on anything, why don't we just go..." he saw the look he was getting. If he said, 'home' she would hurt him. "Upstairs," he said, deciding to be safe.

Olivia rolled her eyes and stood up. "Fine," she said with a yawn.

They breezed passed the other cops and detectives and headed up the flight of stairs to the cribs. Elliot opened the door for her, then shut it behind them. He put his coffee down on the table in the corner and sat on a bed close to the door. "Come here, honey," he said, holding one arm out to her.

Olivia sunk into him, and he leaned back on the bed, taking her with him. She yawned and buried her face in his chest, taking a deep breath. "You smell so good," she mumbled.

Elliot chuckled. "It wasn't a hard day," he said. "But then again you tell me I smell good when I get back from the gym, so..."

"No," Olivia said, turning her head and smirking. "Then, I'm just being polite. You kind of smell really bad when you're done working out," she joked making a face.

"Thanks," he said, sounding offended.

Olivia kissed him and chuckled. "I'm kidding," she said. "You actually don't smell that bad."

"Are we really having a conversation about how I smell?" he asked, laughing.

"It's keeping me distracted, so, yes," Olivia said, nodding. "Seriously, you smell good, all the time. I love the way you smell, and I love..." her words were stopped with his kiss. She moaned lightly as he tangled one of his hands in her hair and deepened the kiss. "El," she whispered.

Elliot smirked and moaned a bit, slipping one hand up the back of her shirt. "Shh," he whispered, "I'm distracting you."

Olivia chuckled against his lips as he kissed her again, and she shifted her weight, allowing him to pull her closer, more on top of him.

Elliot slid his hand further up her shirt, toying with the clasp of her bra. "How quiet can you be?" he asked, whispering and kissing her, playing with her hair.

"How quiet do you want me to be?" she asked, sliding her hand down to his thigh, moving to the left, cupping him.

Elliot groaned as he felt her stroke him, his eyes closed briefly. "Fuck it," he said, flipping them over. He had her shirt off in seconds, he pulled her bra down and his mouth was on her nipple quickly.

Olivia gasped, taken by surprise by his speed and audacity. "El," she moaned, her hands holding his head. "Oh, God," she cried as he bit her rosy bud, sucked hard, then flicked it with his tongue.

He moaned, sucking, and his hands slid her pants down. "Alone," he mumbled, his lips leaving her abused nipple and sliding down her stomach. "We're finally alone."

She gripped his shoulder as he slid down her body, taking her pants and underwear with him. "Yeah," she whispered with a shiver, both due to the cold and the anticipation, "We are."

Elliot smirked as he tossed her clothes to the side, he chuckled lowly as he bent his head and slid both hands under her , gripping onto her ass. She gave him a questioning look, and he responded by holding her gaze and delving into her, licking and moaning as he feasted on her.

Her back arched and she felt the tension and worry slipping away. It always did when she was with him, and he knew it. She felt her brain stop, she felt her heart race, she felt emotion run through her and she felt him shifting, moving. She picked her head up and smirked at him, still lapping at her, as he expertly managed to discard his shirt without removing his lips from her swollen, aching, throbbing clit.

Elliot grinned as he licked and sucked, watching her expressions change. He bit lightly on her clit, sucked for a moment, then slid up her body as he slid out of his pants. "I love you," he whispered, nuzzling her nose.

"I love you," she whispered back, wrapping her arms around his neck. She looked into his eyes, which widened and began to water slightly as he pushed his way inside of her. "God," he choked, inching in slowly, "Always so damn tight." He dropped his lips to hers and pried her mouth opened, kissing her madly as he gave one hard thrust to sheathe himself completely.

She cried out, his kiss catching the sound, and dug her nails into his back. She lost herself in the kiss, and in the moment, loving him slowly and deeply, oblivious to the fact the Cragen was downstairs with Geanetti.

Oblivious to the conversation they were having that could save his life or end it.

And oblivious to the fact that, somewhere, someone was breaking an awful lot of rules.

**A/N: Who? What rules? What are Geanetti and Cragen talking about? Something that will shock Olivia! And will Dean suffer greatly? Next. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Who? What rules? What are Geanetti and Cragen talking about? Something that will shock Olivia! And will Dean suffer greatly**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, but this story is 100% TStabler©**

Elliot and Olivia finally came back down the stairs, calm and happy, but their sneaky smiles faded when they saw the scene before them. A dozen or so uniformed officers, a team of detectives from another unit, and in the middle of it all, Geanetti, with an unlit cigar hanging out of his mouth.

"We definitely missed something," Olivia mumbled as she leaned into Elliot.

"I didn't miss anything," Elliot returned with a smirk. "I was actually having a much better time up there than I would have had down here, and you can't tell me you don't feel the same…"

"Okay," Olivia said with a smirk and a scoff. "You're big ego astounds me," she teased.

Elliot chuckled. "Just my big ego? Nothing else astounds you?"

"Oh, my God," Olivia grumbled with a chuckle, rolling her eyes. She ignored his wagging eyebrows and walked over to her captain and her father. "What's going on?" she asked.

Geanetti looked at her and said, "I'm helping the good guys." He leaned in closer and said, "Without implicating myself in any illegal activity, of course."

Cragen cleared his throat. "Mister Geanetti has agreed to cooperate with the Organized Crime Unit, and us, to get Dean Porter's full confession and indictment. He is gonna go pay the guy a visit, wearing a wire, and get to the bottom of this. He also has ways to get to DiPaulo, and the rest of his goons."

"And that's not gonna implicate you in anything illegal," Olivia said, sarcastically, folding her arms.

Geanetti smirked. "Poppet," he said, narrowing his eyes slightly, "have I forgotten to tell you that I own most of the people in the NYPD?"

Olivia bit her lip and shook her head. "Does that include me?" she asked, giving her father a bit of an attitude.

"No, my little cannoli," Geanetti said. "If I own them, then you own them."

Olivia's stomach lurched. He just told her she was high on the Mafia food chain, and like it or not, she was expected to feed on a few people beneath her. Before she could speak, though, Geanetti's phone rang.

The man looked around, then answered his phone. "Ciao," he said, sounding more Italian than he had moments ago. "What? Where? No, no, you don't do anything. I will take care of her. She's trying to what? How do you know?" He paused for a moment and glanced at Elliot, who was not-so-subtly staring at Olivia's ass and grinning like an idiot. "I can guarantee she isn't, Mack."

Olivia saw the look in her father's eyes, then turned to see at what he was looking. She furrowed her brow and smacked Elliot in the arm. "Cut it out," she spat.

Elliot chuckled. "Just admiring God's work, Liv," he said with a shrug. "What's your father going on about?"

Olivia moved closer to him. "Who the hell knows," she said. "All I know is, he's giving up DiPaulo and getting to Porter, and apparently every Italian cop in the city owes him something."

"So pretty much half of them?" Elliot laughed. "That's, uh, that's good for him, if you think about it."

"Not so good for me," Olivia said. "When I think about how many people know now, how many people knew before I did, it makes me sick."

"Liv," Elliot said, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "They never mentioned it, they know you got where you are on skill and merit, honey. You didn't know who he was, and everyone you've ever met knows that."

Olivia smiled at him and nodded. "Thanks for that," she said.

Elliot smiled back at her, warm and affectionate, but before he could say anything else, Geanetti moved in. "Stabler," he said, looking at Elliot. "You need to call your ex-wife, get her to meet you at La Riviera Trattoria on Thirty-Fifth."

"Why the hell would I wanna do that?" Elliot asked, folding his arms.

Geanetti smirked. "She's got some explaining to do," he said. "And she'll only do it for you. I already told the boys we have a little detour to make, so you just get her there, talk for a bit, I'll handle the rest."

Elliot looked at Olivia, his eyes narrow, and he shrugged, looking at his captain. "Cap," he said, "We gotta…"

"I'm going with you," Cragen said, nodding. "This is related to the case, Elliot. Olivia stays here, though. She probably shouldn't be there."

Olivia's eyes widened. She glanced at Elliot and he gave her a soft smile and a nod. "Stay," he said. He kissed her on the cheek quickly, ignoring the onlookers, and followed Cragen, Geanetti, and a few officers out of the squad room as he picked up his cell phone and dialed a number he thought he'd never use again.

* * *

Kathy sat across from him, drumming her fingers along the edge of the table. She had a look of pure seduction on her face and her eyes glowed with victory. "I'm sorry to hear about Olivia," she said. "But you don't look that broken-hearted, Elliot."

Elliot furrowed his brow, but remembered what Geanetti had told him. "Yeah, well," he said with a shrug. "Part of the job. Partners come and go, right?"

"Right," Kathy said. "But your wife, Elliot, your wife is supposed to be forever."

Elliot nodded. "Is that why you wanted to meet me? Talk me into giving us another shot?" he asked.

Kathy grinned. "I knew you'd come to your senses eventually, and you'd see that that brown-eyed bitch was no good for you."

Elliot leaned into her, smirking. "You had something to do with it, didn't you?" he asked.

"Me?" Kathy said, feigning surprise. "Why would I do such a thing?" she asked with an evil chuckle.

"Tell me," Elliot prodded, leaning closer. "You did, didn't you?"

Kathy laughed. "Maybe," she said. "I talked to a few people, paid a few guys, and made a very specific request." She reached for Elliot's hand, which he begrudgingly let her take. "I had no idea that it would happen so quickly."

Elliot took his hand away and stood up. "It didn't," he said. "But that was easier than I thought it would be." He looked to the booth across the restaurant, and he nodded. Cragen, Geanetti, and a uniformed officer walked over immediately.

Kathy paled and shook her head. "No, no," she mumbled. "Elliot, don't do this! She's not…she's alive isn't she? I could have easily had her killed! I didn't, doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"You tried like hell," Elliot spat. "You didn't know that the guy you hired, the man you paid to kill my…partner…was working for her father!"

Kathy's eyes shot open wide. She knew she would be in trouble with both the law and Geneatti. And as she looked into the eyes of the angry Don and the pissed off captain, she wasn't sure which would be worse.

Geanetti looked at her and said, "You broke the rules." He grabbed her by the arm, pulled her up, and threw her toward the uniformed officer.

"I didn't do it by myself," Kathy cried. "Fiori DiPaulo told me to find someone who…"

"Yeah?" Geanetti asked, smirking as he followed her and the cop out of the restaurant. "Interesting, because I just settled that particular score with his father, and Olivia is no longer on anyone's list. But you," he said, glaring at her, "Are gonna take me to Fiori."

Kathy gulped and looked at his face, seeing the evil behind his eyes. She looked back at Elliot, as if he would help her, and his eyes mirrored Geanetti's with a hint of hurt hidden in them, too. She knew she got the exact opposite of what she'd wanted. Instead of getting him back, she just ensured that she would never see him again.

* * *

Olivia shot out of her seat as she saw Elliot, fuming, walking back into the squad room. "What happened?" she asked. She looked him over and when she was sure he was injury-free, she asked it again. "El, what happened?"

Elliot looked into her eyes and said, "DiPaulo got Kathy to call in a few favors from some of her ex-boyfriend's buddies. She was, technically, the one who put the hit out on you, for DiPaulo."

Olivia nodded, as if that's what she expected to hear, and she tilted her head. "Where's my father?" she asked.

Elliot shrugged. "He went with Cragen, took Kathy somewhere, I needed to get back here, needed to see you." He wrapped a hand around the back of her neck, pulled her close, and kissed her. He didn't care that Munch was watching, he didn't care that several detectives from other units were in the room. He only cared about her, and that she was safe, and that he'd just made a very big deal with her father to keep her that way.

**A/N: What did he do? What will happen to Kathy? And is Dean going to trial, or has someone else taken care of him? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: When it boils down to it…family is not necessarily a bond given by birth or blood, but one given by the heart.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU belongs to Dick Wolf, this story, however, belongs to TStabler**

He pulled on his tie, knotting it almost perfectly without even trying. He kept his eyes on Olivia, sleeping soundly in the incredible bed they'd been given. He sighed as he snapped his cufflinks through his jacket sleeves, and he blinked only once when he saw her stir.

"Hey," she mumbled. "Why are you up so early?"

He laughed. "I'm ten minutes late," he said, bending over to kiss her. "For obvious reasons, you have the day off. I've gotta be in court in…"

As if on cue, the phone rang. He narrowed his eyes and glared at the offending device. With a cough, he answered it. "Stabler residence," he spat, ignoring the confused look on Olivia's face. "What? When? Well it would have been nice if…I gathered that, thanks! Do you still need me to…no, no, I know who did it. I'll thank him myself."

Olivia ran her hands through her hair. "Lemme guess," she said, her eyes closed.

"Dean Porter is no longer on trial," Elliot hissed, his jaw tight. "He gave them a full confession and he pled out, serving time at a county jail in Virginia," he stated.

"Virginia?" Olivia questioned. Then her eyes narrowed. "Quantico. He's not going to jail. He's going home. Back to…"

"FBI," he interrupted. "Made a deal with your father to end this whole thing on his terms, and he is going to jail. A maximum security facility two blocks away from a military base and FBI headquarters, both watching his every move."

"My father did this," she huffed, flopping back onto the pillows behind her. "Why can't he just leave…"

"He is your father," he cut in again. "He would do anything to make sure you were safe, and that no one would be around to hurt you, ever again." He blinked. "You have no idea what the people who love you would do to make sure of that."

Her head tilted. "What…" she sat up and looked into his eyes, her interrogation face. "Elliot, what did you do?"

He bit his lip. "Nothing," he said. "Yet."

"Elliot, I swear to God if you get involved with him…"

"It's too late, Liv," he spat, shaking his head. "Last night, he…I love you, more than anything, you know that, don't you?"

She pressed her lips together. "I don't like where this is going."

"I hate her for what she did to you," he told her, sitting on the mattress beside her. "I would have killed her myself if…" he shook his head. "I couldn't let her…I couldn't let him…"

"What did you do?" she asked, interjecting.

He took a deep breath, then took her hands. "I told him…I asked him not to hurt her, to let the NYPD handle her, legally, fairly."

"You asked him for a favor," she said with squinting eyes. "Fuck, El! Jesus! You had to know that…"

"All he wanted in return was a promise," he broke in. "One that I fully intend to keep." He squeezed her hands. "I had to swear to him that I would kill the next person who tried to hurt you. Really. Kill."

"Oh, my God," she moaned, bringing her knees up to her chest and clutching his hands tighter.

"It's the only way he would…Liv, I wanna marry you, spend the rest of my life with you, in this family that means I've gotta…" he stopped. "I also had to do it so he wouldn't hurt Kathy. It's a small price to pay for making sure that the mother of my kids will be around for a while. Granted, for the next few years, she'll be in a psych ward, but…" he shrugged.

Olivia pulled her hands out of his and shrank away from him. "I asked you…begged you not to do anything for him. You don't ask him for favors, you don't take his gifts, and you don't…under any circumstances…make any deals with him!"

"I didn't have a choice!" he yells. "Damn it, Liv, he knows someone's coming after you! He has to lay low for a while, we've fucking arrested every one of his goons, your brothers won't do shit about _stugots angul _and you know it! If anyone is gonna lay their life on the line for you, it's me!"

She looked at him for a moment, the way his shoulders heaved and his nostrils flared, the way his anger masked his fear yet both stemmed from his love for her, and the way he just spoke Italian without realizing it all made her weak. "El," she breathed, rising to her knees.

"God, what?" he hissed, turning his head to look at her. He tilted his head, watching her crawl on her knees along the bed to him. He sighed as his arms wrapped around her, his head fell to her neck. He kissed her as he squeezed her tight. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry, but I…I would do anything to keep you safe."

She scratched at the nape of his neck as she held onto him, she kissed the skin of his shoulder lightly. "Tell me the truth," she whispered.

He was quiet for a moment. "I have a list of names…"

"I knew it," she said, sounding defeated. "El, you don't know what you've gotten yourself into."

He scratched down her back and kissed her neck. "I know exactly what I've gotten myself into." He lifted his head, looked at her, and kissed her lips. "Your family."

She sighed and then she smiled. "You're the one who doesn't get it," she said to him. "You are my family. My father…he's blood, yeah, but that man is not my family." She kissed him softly. "You're the one who's kept me sane, been there for me when I needed to laugh, cry, or hit something."

"It was usually me," he joked.

She laughed and nodded. "You're the one who made me feel less alone, even when I was." She shook her head as she stared into his eyes. "You were there when I was at my greatest, at my lowest. You kept me strong, kept me alive, since the moment we met. You kept my secrets, told me all of yours, you even helped me commit a crime or two."

"Or nine," he chuckled.

She laughed with him and kissed the end of his nose. "You're the reason I found him, El. You led me to my father, but you were always my family." She blinked and kissed his lips gently. "You always will be."

"I made sure of that," he nodded, kissing her. "I need a little extra insurance, Liv. Besides, when I asked him…forget it."

"You asked him…what?" she tilted her head. She had an idea, but she needed him to tell her.

"I asked him…for permission," he said, his eyes closing again. "To marry you." He swallowed hard and opened his eyes to look into hers. "He told me that this was the only way to earn my place in your…"

"You," she cut him off, "Are the only man…the only person who has already earned a place in my family, in my heart, by just loving me." She kissed him once more, cupped his face in her hands, and whispered, "I love you. And that's all the permission you need."

He smiled at her, and with one good shove, he had her on her back, on the bed, and he was sprawled over her like a blanket.

She laughed as he kissed every inch of her body, and she looked at the clock. She was grateful her father had Dean taken care of, and that Elliot would be home with her. There was no way she was letting him go now.

He growled a bit when he felt her hands on his back, tugging at his shirt. He moaned when he felt her nip at his ear, her hot breath sending chills down his spine. "God," he seethed, "You're trouble, Benson. You are a world of trouble."

"Good thing you like trouble," she laughed, tugging on his tie and pulling at his buttons.

He smirked at her and narrowed his eyes. "Oh, yeah," he said with a wink. "I'm, uh, I'm about to get into trouble right now, actually."

Laughing, she peeled his shirt away from his body. Her legs, still bare as she hadn't gotten dressed, skimmed up his and begged the cotton of his pants to fall away, too.

He took her hint and worked out of his pants, kissing and biting at her lips and neck as he struggled with the material. He finally threw them to the ground with a grunt and pulled the sheets away from Olivia's body. "You know," he breathed against her skin, "You're my family, too, baby. You were, you are, and you always will be."

"Please," she panted, feeling him shift over her, ready to thrust. "Please, call him, El. Tell him you won't…"

"He knows," he interrupted, poking at her entrance gently. "He knows I wouldn't. He just…he needed to see if…"

"You would," she understood, gazing at him.

He nodded, a small, peaceful smile on his face. He lowered his head, kissed her with a short moan, and rocked his hips, filling her and groaning as he felt himself slide against her. "Feels so good," he whispered, kissing her chin.

"Hmm," she hummed in agreement, holding onto him. Her legs wound around his body, her hips met his in slow thrusts, and she whispered his name softly between kisses.

He moaned hers in response, his lips and teeth trailing over any part of her he could reach, and his hand worked its way under her head to clutch the back of her neck.

She moaned and rolled her body into his, her back arching each time his skin rubbed against her clit as they moved. Her nails dig into his shoulders deeper and harder as her body tensed and tightened. "El," she cried. "Oh, my God, Elliot."

He smiled as he heard the unmistakable waver in her voice, the shaking cry that told him she was on the brink and that he needed to work a little bit harder and a little bit longer to get what he wanted. "Come on, baby," he encouraged, nudging her face with his nose. He moved his mouth to her ear and whispered, "Cum for me," the way he always did when he needed to really get to her.

The snap of skin under her nails accompanied the cry of his name and loud growl that flew out of her mouth as she did just that, and she clamped hard around him as she trembled violently with her release.

He watched her face, her eyes, and her body as he thrust a few more times, leading to his own powerful ending, and he kissed her once he began to shoot off inside of her, unknowingly giving him another binding tie to her. One that really would make them family. Forever.

**A/N: **_**Fini. Grazie per aver letto questa storia.**_** Finished. Thank you for reading this story. **


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